Behnam Rezaei
IRGC intelligence chief killed by Israel in Bandar Abbas, 26 March 2026.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Iran reconstitute its IRGC intelligence command after five senior kills in a week?
Latest on Behnam Rezaei
- Who is Behnam Rezaei?
- Behnam Rezaei was the intelligence chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was killed on 26 March 2026 in an Israeli airstrike on Bandar Abbas, alongside IRGC Navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri.Source: Israeli military (reported)
- How was Behnam Rezaei killed?
- Rezaei died in an Israeli airstrike on the Bandar Abbas naval base at 3am on 26 March 2026. The strike killed him alongside IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri and multiple senior naval aides.Source: Israeli military (reported)
- What was Rezaei's role in the IRGC?
- Rezaei was the IRGC's intelligence chief, overseeing signals intelligence, human intelligence networks, and coordination of proxy operations, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.Source: event
- How many IRGC commanders has Israel killed in 2026?
- By 26 March 2026, Israel had killed at least five senior IRGC figures in under a week, including the Basij intelligence deputy, IRGC intelligence commander Mehdi Rostami Shomastan, and Rezaei alongside Tangsiri in Bandar Abbas.Source: event
- What is the significance of the Bandar Abbas strike?
- The Bandar Abbas strike killed both the IRGC Navy commander and the IRGC intelligence chief in a single operation at Iran's principal Gulf naval base, representing one of the highest-value double-kills of the 2026 conflict.Source: event
Background
Behnam Rezaei served as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence chief, responsible for signals intelligence, human intelligence networks, and coordination of proxy operations around the Strait of Hormuz. A senior figure within the IRGC command structure, his role placed him at the operational heart of Iran's covert capabilities, though like most IRGC intelligence officers, he kept an exceptionally low public profile.
Rezaei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Bandar Abbas at 3am on 26 March 2026, alongside Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, and multiple senior naval aides. The strike targeted Iran's principal Gulf naval base and its timing indicated precise intelligence on overnight command movements.
His death was the fifth senior IRGC figure killed by Israel in under a week, following the elimination of the Basij intelligence deputy and IRGC intelligence commander Mehdi Rostami Shomastan in earlier strikes. The pattern points to a systematic Israeli campaign to decapitate IRGC intelligence capacity at a moment when indirect US-Iran talks were under way, making Rezaei's removal both operationally and diplomatically significant.
