The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on April 1 the elimination of Mahdi Vafaei, the Head of the Engineering Branch of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps in the Mahallat Area in Iran.
According to the IDF, Vafaei advanced underground projects across Lebanon and Syria, leading efforts to establish and manage underground terrorist infrastructure sites for Hezbollah and the Assad regime.
“ELIMINATED: Mahdi Vafaei, the Head of the Engineering Branch of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps in the Mahallat Area in Iran. Vafaei advanced underground projects across Lebanon and Syria, leading efforts to establish and manage underground terrorist infrastructure sites for Hezbollah and the Assad regime,” the IDF statement read.
The elimination took place on the night of March 31, with the Israeli military confirming that the strike was by Israeli officers.
A military statement from the IDF indicates that Vafaei had been in charge of the engineering branch of the corps for 20 years and had advanced underground projects across Lebanon and Syria.
In addition, the IDF stated that he had played a key role in supporting Hezbollah and the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad and in projects that reportedly used to store advanced weapons and strengthen regional military capabilities.
His elimination, according to the IDF, is expected to significantly degrade Hezbollah’s underground capabilities and disrupt Iran’s broader regional terror infrastructure.
About Mahdi Vafaei, Eliminated by the Israel Defense Forces
Mahdi Vafaei was an Iranian military engineer and senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, serving as head of its Engineering Branch for the Lebanon Corps, according to the report by the Iran International English.
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Israel’s Elimination of Iranian Officials
A major airstrike in Iran began on February 28, 2026, targeting and eliminating senior Iranian political and military leaders.
Iranian senior officials eliminated include Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran; Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council; and Gholamreza Soleimani, the Commander of the Basij paramilitary force.
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Other Iranian Senior Figures eliminated
- Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser and former National Security Council secretary.
- Mohammad Pakpour, IRGC commander-in-chief.
- Aziz Nasirzadeh, the Defense Minister.
- Esmail Khatib, Intelligence Minister.
Additional IRGC commanders and officials, including naval leaders such as Alireza Tangsiri, IRGC Navy commander, were involved in later strikes.
