Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodayari, a senior Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer, was gunned down in Tehran on Sunday in a carefully coordinated operation, Israeli media reported.
The approach
Khodayari was driving his car near his home on Mahadi al-Islam Street in Tehran at around 16:00 local time. There, two unknown assailants riding a motorcycle approached his vehicle, rapidly closing the gap between them and Khodayari, according to Walla News.
The attack
From point-blank range, equipped with a silenced weapon, the two fired five shots at Khodayari, killing him instantly. The assassins were nowhere to be seen and a manhunt is currently underway.
The aftermath
The IRNA published pictures showing a man strapped in with his seat belt with the front window on the passenger side shot out.
The man was slumped over in the driver's seat with blood around the collar of his blue shirt and on his right upper arm.
The getaway
Reports of Khodayari's assassination began to circulate in Iran and around the world, while security forces in Iran were frantically searching for the assassination squad.
Meanwhile, the ISNA news agency reported that the IRGC had exposed and arrested a network of Israeli intelligence agents.
"In accordance with the Zionist regime's intelligence service instructions, the network tried to steal and destroy public and personal equipment, hijack and obtain false confessions through a network of thugs," the IRGC said.
The target
Khodayari was considered a senior officer in the IRGC.
According to Iranian sources, Khodayari was responsible for attempts to abduct and assassinate Israelis in Cyprus, Turkey and Colombia, N12 reported.
The IRGC also reported that Khodayari was involved in the security of the Shiite holy places in Damascus and that he had a close relationship with Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC commander who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020.