The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday announced that Esmail Ahmadi, head of the intelligence division of the Basij Force, was killed in an air strike.
The announcement follows the elimination of several top Iranian officials in US-Israeli strikes since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death on 28 February. Earlier in the week, Israeli airstrikes killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani.
Who was Esmail Ahmadi? Esmail Ahmadi was the head of the Basij Force’s intelligence division.
Ahmadi was a key figure in planning and executing attacks carried out by the Basij Forces, the IDF said, adding that he also oversaw the enforcement of public order and the regime’s ideological values on behalf of the IRGC and led major crackdowns during recent internal protests in Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran has warned it could strike recreational and tourist sites worldwide while asserting that its missile programme continues. Its supreme leader issued a defiant statement on Friday, nearly three weeks into US-Israeli strikes that have killed numerous senior Iranian officials and severely damaged the country’s weapons and energy infrastructure.
The United States is deploying three additional warships and about 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, a US official told AP.
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Iran launched attacks on Israel and energy facilities in neighboring Gulf Arab states during one of the holiest days of the Muslim calendar, coinciding with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which was observed in a more subdued manner this year.
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With limited information emerging from Iran, the extent of damage to its arms, nuclear, or energy facilities since the conflict began remains unclear, as does the country’s current leadership structure. Nonetheless, Iran has demonstrated it still has the capability to carry out attacks that disrupt oil supplies and affect the global economy, driving up food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei lauded the steadfastness of Iranians during the ongoing war in a written statement broadcast on Iranian television to mark the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
He stated that US and Israeli attacks were based on the false belief that eliminating Iran’s top leaders would topple the government. Mojtaba praised Iranians for “building a nationwide defensive front” and “delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements.”
Khamenei has not appeared publicly since assuming the role of supreme leader following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Israeli strikes at the start of the war. US and Israeli officials believe the younger Khamenei may have been injured.