Israel claims responsibility for assassination of IRGC officer

Israel informed the United States it was responsible for assassinating an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force officer in Tehran on Sunday, The New York Times reported.

In a briefing with American officials, Israel confirmed reports that Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodayari, who was shot dead in a vehicle, was deputy commander of the Quds Force's Unit 840, a secretive unit responsible for operations against Israeli and Western targets outside of Iran.

He was also in charge of recruiting civilians in several countries to commit attacks against Israelis.

As per NYT, Israeli officials claimed the officer was head of Unit 840's Middle East operations, as well as in nations bordering Iran. The report also noted that Khodayari was involved in attacks against Israelis, Europeans and Americans in South America, Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus.

Colonel Khodaei was assassinated in the capital Tehran at around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday when two motorcyclists shot him five times while he was in his car.

In a statement, the IRGC said the assassination was carried out by “counterrevolutionary elements” adding that necessary measures have been taken to identify and arrest the assailant or assailants.

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, was warned that Iran will take a “harsh” revenge on those who assassinated the colonel.