The New York Times was the first source to report on Israel’s disclosure of its role in the recent killing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) colonel; According to the report, Israeli intelligence personnel informed US officials that the Jewish state was responsible for the assassination.
Following the assassination of IRGC Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodayari on Sunday, there has been speculation that the US or Israel was responsible for the attack, especially by the Iranians. On Wednesday, The New York Times released an initial report claiming that Israeli intelligence confirmed to the US that the Jewish state was behind the killing of Khodayari, which resulted in vows of vengeance from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
According to Israel, the colonel was heading up a covert unit responsible for kidnapping and killing Israelis and other foreign individuals. Regardless, Tehran has rejected the claim, denying the existence of such a unit. The funeral for Khodayari drew thousands of Iranians. On Sunday, the deceased colonel was killed outside his home by suspects on motorcycles.
Chants of “Death to Israel” could be heard at the funeral.
Leader of the IRGC, General Hossein Salami, responded to the killing on Monday, stating, “We will make the enemy regret this, and none of the enemy’s evil actions will go unanswered.”
