Jerusalem/Tehran, March 4, 2026 – Israeli media outlets on Wednesday reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had killed Rahman Moqaddam, identified as the head of the special operations division within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as part of the ongoing large-scale military campaign against Iran.
The claim first appeared in the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth, which cited unnamed Israeli security sources but provided no additional details on the timing, location, or method of the alleged strike. Channel 12, a major Israeli television network, offered further context, asserting that Moqaddam was believed to have orchestrated or been directly involved in an attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2024. The report did not elaborate on evidence linking Moqaddam to the purported plot, which has not been independently confirmed by U.S. or international authorities.
Neither the IDF nor the Israeli government has issued an official confirmation of Moqaddam's death as of late Wednesday. Iranian state media, including IRIB and Tasnim News Agency (affiliated with the IRGC), have not acknowledged the report or reported any such loss among senior commanders. The silence from Tehran is consistent with previous patterns during high-profile casualties in the current conflict, where confirmations are often delayed or issued indirectly.
The alleged killing of Moqaddam comes amid an intensified multi-front campaign launched by Israel and the United States against Iran beginning late Saturday, February 28, 2026. The opening strikes targeted key military, nuclear-related, and leadership sites across Iran, resulting in the confirmed death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several senior IRGC commanders, and other high-ranking officials. Israeli and U.S. sources have described the operation as a preemptive effort to neutralize Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, and support for proxy groups following years of escalating shadow warfare.
Casualty figures remain contested. Israeli and U.S. assessments place the death toll in Iran at nearly 900 people, including military personnel, scientists, and civilians in proximity to targeted facilities. Iranian authorities have reported lower civilian casualty numbers while emphasizing significant damage to infrastructure and vowing severe retaliation.
In response, Iran has launched multiple waves of retaliatory attacks since Sunday, deploying hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones targeting Israeli military bases, airfields, and intelligence installations. Additional barrages have struck U.S. military facilities and allied sites in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Qatar (Al Udeid Air Base), Bahrain (Naval Support Activity Bahrain), Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These strikes have caused limited but confirmed damage, disrupted regional air travel, and prompted airspace closures across much of the Middle East.
The conflict has drawn in additional actors. On Wednesday, Türkiye reported the interception of a ballistic missile originating from Iran that had entered Turkish airspace after transiting Iraq and Syria. The projectile was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense systems in the Eastern Mediterranean, prompting Ankara to summon the Iranian ambassador and lodge a strong protest.
The reported death of Rahman Moqaddam—if confirmed—would represent a significant blow to the IRGC's external operations branch, known as the Quds Force successor units or special operations directorate. Moqaddam has been described in Western and Israeli intelligence circles as a key figure overseeing covert missions, proxy coordination, and asymmetric warfare capabilities. His alleged link to a 2024 Trump assassination attempt, as claimed by Channel 12, would align with long-standing accusations from U.S. officials that Iran has plotted against former President Trump and other American figures in retaliation for the 2020 killing of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
The Trump administration, which returned to office in January 2025, has maintained a hardline stance toward Iran, including renewed "maximum pressure" sanctions and support for Israel's current operations. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed active participation in defensive and offensive actions alongside Israeli forces, including missile intercepts and strikes on Iranian launch sites.
As the conflict enters its sixth day, international calls for de-escalation have intensified. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on Tuesday, with Secretary-General António Guterres warning of the risk of a full-scale regional war. Gulf states have condemned Iranian missile strikes on their territory while expressing concern over the broader fallout, including threats to global energy markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts note that the targeting of high-value IRGC figures like Moqaddam fits Israel's strategy of decapitation strikes aimed at degrading command-and-control structures. However, such actions have historically provoked fiercer Iranian responses, raising fears of further escalation involving Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, or Houthi forces in Yemen.
With airspace disruptions continuing, commercial aviation remains severely curtailed across the region, and oil prices have surged amid uncertainty over supply stability. Both Israel and Iran have signaled readiness for prolonged operations, while diplomatic channels—mediated in part by Oman, Qatar, and indirect U.S.-Iran contacts—have seen limited movement toward ceasefire talks.
The veracity of Moqaddam's reported killing remains unconfirmed beyond Israeli media citations. Any official Iranian acknowledgment or further Israeli disclosure could significantly influence the trajectory of the conflict in the coming hours.
