Israel said Monday it had killed the commander of the special operations unit of Iran’s Quds Force in a strike on Tehran a day earlier.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas operations unit is known as the Quds Force.
“Yesterday, the Israeli Air Force… conducted a strike in Tehran and eliminated Asghar Bagheri, Commander of the Quds Force’s Special Operations Unit (840) since 2019,” a military statement said.
It said that Bagheri had recently held a variety of prominent posts within the Quds Force and was “involved in attacks targeting Israeli and American individuals worldwide.”
The Iranian military has warned the United States and Israel that the “entire region will turn into hell” if the ongoing war escalates further.
According to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said on Saturday that the illusion of defeating Iran has “turned into a swamp” that will “sink” the US and Israel.
“Do not forget that if aggression expands, the entire region will turn into hell for you,” the Iranian military spokesperson said.
“The illusion of defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran has turned into a swamp in which you will sink.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to make a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that “hell will rain down on them.”
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT? Time is running out – 48 hours before all hell will rain down on them. Glory be to God!” Trump wrote.
Since February, the US, Israel, and Iran have been engaged in conflict following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a missile strike.
Following Khamenei’s death, tensions in the Middle East escalated as Iran retaliated with attacks on Israeli and US facilities in the region.
The conflict has disrupted global trade after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime route through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported.
