Iran Report: Targeted Strike Kills Commander of Iranian Cyber Group "Handala"

A Telegram channel linked to the intelligence organization of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) that Yahya Hosseini Pangchehi, commander of the Iranian hacker group "Handala," was killed in a targeted strike carried out by Israel during the war in Iran.

Over the past year, the "Handala" group operated mainly against Israelis and Israeli institutions. The group specialized in breaking into the phones of public figures and top-level officials, then publishing sensitive information extracted from them. Among those whose phones were breached: former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, and Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman, along with other security figures.

Pangchehi was not only a cyber commander. According to the reports, he headed the Iranian Intelligence Ministry office tasked with eliminating anti-Iranian activists and planning operations against Israelis. In that role, Pangchehi established the "Martyr Soleimani Headquarters," named after Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the United States in 2020. The headquarters operates in coordination with all Iranian intelligence bodies and with the assistance of Revolutionary Guards forces around the world, with the goal of avenging the killing of the former Quds Force commander.

Pangchehi was also wanted by the FBI because of his ties to the Revolutionary Guards and his involvement in advancing cyber terrorism. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, where he operated, is considered a more organized and structured body than the Revolutionary Guards when it comes to carrying out operations beyond Iran’s borders.