IDF confirms killing supreme leader’s military secretary based on ‘real-time emerging intel’

A top Iranian general who was killed in an airstrike in Tehran yesterday was targeted within an hour of fresh intelligence having been received by the military, according to the IDF.

Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier said that Abolghasem Babaeian, the military secretary to Iran’s supreme leader — who was appointed last week despite the supreme leader’s role being vacant following the assassination of Ali Khamenei — was killed in an Israeli strike.

The IDF now confirms killing Babaeian, saying he was targeted in Tehran on Saturday. The IDF says the strike targeting Babaeian was carried out following “real-time emerging intelligence.”

Israeli Air Force fighter jets took off for Iran while the intelligence was being consolidated, and within 50 minutes of the information being received, the jets launched the munitions that killed Babaeian.

The military says that in addition to being the intended head of the military bureau of the supreme leader, Babaeian was also chief of staff at the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, also known as Iran’s military emergency command.

“Babaeian was responsible for coordinating between regime bodies to advance actions against the State of Israel and to operate the regime’s emergency mechanisms,” the IDF says.

The IDF says Babaeian had been appointed to the role after the previous chief of Khamenei’s military bureau, Mohammad Shirazi, was killed in the opening strikes of the war alongside the supreme leader.