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Watch: Israel confirms U.S.-Israeli strikes kill Iran Guards intelligence chief

April 06, 2026 4 min read International Relations Internal Security GS Paper 2 (International Relations) GS Paper 3 (Internal Security)
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What Happened

  • Israel confirmed that coordinated US-Israeli strikes killed Major General Majid Khademi, the intelligence chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Tehran
  • Khademi was one of the most senior IRGC commanders to survive multiple waves of previous targeting operations; he had only recently taken the intelligence chief post after his predecessor was similarly killed
  • The IDF accused Khademi of overseeing attempts to penetrate US systems including the Pentagon, coordinating with Russia, and advancing terrorist attacks abroad
  • Iran called the strike a "terrorist attack" and blamed both Israel and the United States jointly
  • The strike on Khademi came alongside Israeli bombing of Iran's largest petrochemical plant, killing over 25 people in total across the day's operations
  • Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and Gulf Arab states

Static Topic Bridges

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

The IRGC (also known as Sepah or Pasdaran) was established in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution to protect the revolutionary government from internal and external threats. Unlike Iran's regular Army (Artesh), which is responsible for conventional defence, the IRGC's constitutional mandate is to ensure the integrity of the Islamic Republic. It has since grown into a "state-within-a-state" controlling significant portions of Iran's economy, politics, and military strategy.

  • The IRGC comprises five branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Aerospace Force, Quds Force, and Basij (paramilitary militia)
  • The Quds Force is the IRGC's external operations arm, responsible for training and arming proxy groups (Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, Hamas)
  • IRGC Navy controls operational access to the Persian Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz
  • As of 2024, total IRGC personnel: approximately 125,000
  • The IRGC was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the US in 2019

Connection to this news: The killing of Khademi — the intelligence chief — represents a decapitation strategy targeting the command-and-control structure of the IRGC's intelligence apparatus, degrading Iran's ability to coordinate proxy operations and espionage.

Targeted Killings and International Humanitarian Law

International Humanitarian Law (IHL), particularly the Geneva Conventions, permits targeting of combatants and military objectives during armed conflict. However, strikes on civilian infrastructure and attacks in civilian-dense areas raise questions about proportionality and distinction — two core IHL principles. The killing of Khademi (a military commander) in Tehran raises questions about the laws of armed conflict, particularly the geographic limits of hostilities.

  • IHL's two core principles: Distinction (between combatants and civilians) and Proportionality (military advantage vs. civilian harm)
  • Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions (1977) extended IHL protections to non-international armed conflicts
  • Targeted killings outside active battlefields are contested under international law; the US justified drone strikes on this basis from 2001 onward
  • The UN Charter Article 2(4) prohibits use of force against territorial integrity; Article 51 allows self-defence

Connection to this news: The US-Israeli strikes in Tehran constitute targeted killing inside Iranian sovereign territory, raising contested questions about the legality of extraterritorial force and the definition of the "battlefield" in modern asymmetric warfare.

Espionage and Intelligence Warfare

Intelligence agencies are central instruments of state power that operate in a grey zone between war and peace. The IRGC's intelligence branch is responsible for counter-espionage, surveillance of dissidents, overseas operations, and cyber infiltration. The killing of the intelligence chief disrupts institutional memory, active operations, and command hierarchies in ways that conventional battlefield victories cannot.

  • IRGC Intelligence Organisation is separate from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS/VEVAK) — both report to the Supreme Leader
  • Iran's intelligence apparatus has been linked to assassination plots in Europe and North America
  • The US designated IRGC's intelligence directorate under sanctions for human rights violations related to suppression of domestic protests

Connection to this news: The targeted elimination of the IRGC intelligence chief signals a strategy of destroying Iran's capacity for offensive intelligence operations — including potential attacks on Western targets and penetration of US defence networks.

Key Facts & Data

  • Majid Khademi held the rank of Major General and was the IRGC's intelligence chief
  • He had taken the role after his predecessor was killed in an earlier round of US-Israeli strikes
  • Over 25 people were killed in the day's US-Israeli strike package
  • Iran responded to the strikes with missile attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab states
  • IRGC Navy controls the Persian Gulf and has the operational capability to close the Strait of Hormuz
  • The IRGC was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in April 2019