Israel Exposes Covert Iranian Terror Network Targeting Officials and Strategic Infrastructure Worldwide
The Mossad, IDF, and Shin Bet have, for the first time, revealed a clandestine terror apparatus operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designed to target senior Israeli officials and strategic infrastructure across the globe.
The disclosure follows a series of successful counterterrorism operations carried out by the Israeli Air Force during Operation “Roar of the Lion,” which led to the elimination of senior operatives and key figures within the covert network. At the same time, intensified efforts by the Mossad, along with international intelligence and law enforcement partners, resulted in widespread arrests and interrogations of terror cells operating on behalf of the network worldwide.
In one notable case, members of an operational cell were arrested by authorities in Azerbaijan while in possession of explosive drones and fragmentation devices smuggled into the country. The cell had been gathering intelligence on potential targets using various methods, including physical surveillance and photography, under direct instructions from handlers in Iran.
These developments, combined with extensive intelligence investigations and operational activity on the ground, led to the exposure of the secret terror network’s structure and chain of command.
Several weeks ago, a terror infrastructure was foiled in Azerbaijan that had been planning attacks against a strategic oil pipeline running through Georgia and Turkey (BTC), as well as against Jewish and Israeli targets in the country. These included the Israeli embassy, a synagogue in Baku, and leaders of the local Jewish community.
At the head of the network was Rahman Moqadam, who also served as chief of the IRGC Intelligence Organization’s Special Operations Division (Unit 4000). In recent years, Moqadam advanced global terror operations, including recruiting and training operatives both inside and outside Iran to carry out intelligence-gathering missions. Targets included Israeli political figures, members of the security establishment, military sites, ports, and Israeli vessels worldwide.
Operating under his command was a key figure, Mohsen Souri, a senior operative and central coordinator within the covert terror framework, who also held a senior role in Unit 4000. Souri was eliminated during the war in an Israeli Air Force strike based on intelligence provided by the Mossad and Shin Bet, which identified the emergency facility where he was staying alongside other IRGC personnel. As part of his role, Souri was deeply involved in overseas operations and met with local terror cells to direct missions on the ground.
Alongside Souri, other IRGC officers operated across Europe, the Middle East, and Azerbaijan, including Mahdi Yekeh-Dehghan, known as “the Doctor,” who led terror efforts in Azerbaijan. Dehghan has been known since January 2026, following the arrest of a terror network in Turkey that, under his direction, smuggled explosive drones from Iran into Turkey and onward to Cyprus. The group also conducted surveillance on the U.S. Air Force’s Incirlik Air Base in Adana. Similar intelligence-gathering efforts targeting Western military bases have been exposed in the past, including during Operation “Like a Lion,” when Azerbaijani suspects were arrested for spying on Israeli and Western targets in Cyprus and Crete.
In recent years, the Iranian regime has intensified its use of intelligence and security bodies to advance dozens of terror plots targeting Israeli, Jewish, and Western interests worldwide.
The covert terror network was led by Rahman Moqadam, head of Unit 4000, responsible for directing attacks beyond Iran’s borders and for attempts to smuggle advanced weaponry into Israel. These operations were carried out under the guidance and knowledge of senior IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi, who was also killed by the IDF during Operation “Roar of the Lion.”
