All articles tagged with #assassination
Israel claims it killed Alireza Tangsiri, head of Iran's IRGC Navy who it says commanded the Strait of Hormuz blockade, and says another IRGC intelligence official Behnam Rezaei was eliminated; Iran has not commented. The US CENTCOM said the death makes the region safer and urged IRGC members to abandon posts, while oil prices rose amid the wider Iran‑Israel war.
Israel claims it killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps navy commander Alireza Tangsiri in an air strike, as part of a broader campaign against Iranian officials amid the US-Israel war on Iran; there was no official confirmation from Iran at the time, and the strike was said to target other senior naval officers amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.
A Washington Post report says a unit of Russia's foreign intelligence floated a plan called 'the Gamechanger' to stage an assassination of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to sway Hungary’s election, highlighting Moscow’s influence in European politics.
Iran's president confirms Esmail Khatib, the intelligence minister, was killed in an overnight Israeli strike—the third senior Iranian official slain in two days—as Israel escalates actions against Tehran's leadership. Israel's defence minister said the strike had tacit approval to target more Iranian officials without case-by-case authorization. Analysts note Khatib's proximity to the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The US has offered $10 million for information on Iran's new leadership, while funerals were held for Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani; Tehran insists its government does not rely on a single individual. The report frames these events as part of a broader US-Israeli campaign against Iran's top leadership.
Israel said it killed Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib in a targeted strike in Tehran, the third high‑profile assassination in two days. Iran’s foreign ministry did not confirm the report, saying nothing has been announced, while President Masoud Pezeshkian mourned Khatib alongside other officials as regional tensions and retaliatory actions escalate across the Middle East.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli Defense Minister Katz confirmed an Israeli strike assassinated Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, though the IDF has not issued a formal statement and two sources say the outcome remains unclear. If confirmed, the hit would be one of Iran's most significant political assassinations in years and underscores long-running tensions, with Khatib a hardliner tied to Khamenei and the IRGC's rising influence over Iran's intelligence apparatus.
USA TODAY reports that Israel decided to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials as part of a long-planned operation prompted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack; the plan intensified after Israel’s 12‑day war with Iran in June 2025, with Netanyahu ordering planning in November 2025. The campaign began Feb. 28, targeting Iran’s leadership to blunt its ballistic missile program and nuclear efforts, aided by heightened US–Israel intelligence collaboration.
The article weighs whether the US-Israel strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader was legally permissible, noting that civilian leaders who command militaries can be targets in an active war, but any attack violating the UN Charter is illegal; it questions whether there was a genuine imminent threat, whether Congress or the UN Security Council authorized the action, and how the assassination ban and state-responsibility doctrines would apply.
International law generally treats a civilian head of state who commands a country's armed forces as a legitimate military target in war, so the strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader is unlikely illegal, but assassinations remain politically risky, with potential unintended consequences and greater feasibility due to drones and AI; the piece also notes US bans on assassination and discusses historical precedents and future implications.
Russia’s FSB alleges Polish intelligence aided last week’s attempt on General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia’s GRU, in Moscow, claiming the operation was ordered by Ukraine’s SBU; Kyiv denies involvement and Poland has not commented. A suspect, Lyubomir Korba, was detained in Dubai and handed to Russia, along with accomplice Viktor Vasin in Moscow; the FSB says both admitted their roles and that Korba’s Polish son Lubos helped recruit via Polish intelligence. No independent evidence has been released and Poland has yet to respond.
Russia’s FSB says two men arrested for the attempt on GRU Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev admitted they were recruited by Ukraine’s SBU and that one received Kyiv-based marksmanship training; one suspect was arrested in the UAE and extradited, with an accomplice in Moscow. The FSB also alleged the suspect’s son, a Polish citizen, aided the recruitment, a claim Kyiv denies. The incident follows a string of attacks on Russian generals as Alexeyev remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Russia’s Investigative Committee and FSB allege Ukrainian intelligence ordered a failed assassination of General Vladimir Alekseev, the GRU’s first deputy head, in Moscow; they say the suspect was arrested in Dubai and brought to Moscow with UAE help, but provided no public evidence, while Kyiv denies involvement.
Russia’s Investigative Committee says Ukrainian intelligence orchestrated the February 6 shooting of Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy head of the GRU, in Moscow; the alleged attacker fled to Dubai and was detained, with another suspect also detained and a third said to have escaped to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement; Alekseyev survived surgery and is not in danger. The Kremlin said Putin spoke with UAE leaders to thank them for assistance in detaining the suspect, marking another high-profile attack on Russian security figures amid the war.
A senior GRU official, Vladimir Alekseyev, was shot in a Moscow apartment building; the Kremlin says Ukraine orchestrated the attack to derail negotiations, Kyiv has not commented, and investigators are pursuing the shooter.
Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy head of Russia’s GRU, was shot in his Moscow apartment; investigators gave few details on his condition. The Kremlin swiftly blamed Ukraine amid stalled ceasefire talks in Abu Dhabi, though no evidence has been released. Alekseyev helped crush the Wagner Group rebellion and had appeared on video with Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin before Prigozhin’s death, fueling speculation of domestic rivalries. Western officials questioned Kyiv’s involvement, noting such attacks on Kremlin insiders are unusual. The incident highlights the volatility surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine and follows other fatal attacks on Russian military figures.