After rumors of a dismissal spread like wildfire online, Fars News Agency confirmed on Thursday that Hossein Tayeb, embattled head of the IRGC ’s Intelligence Organization, had “resigned” and been replaced after 13 years.
Newcomer Mohammad Kazemi was appointed to the role on the same day by order of Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards. Tayeb himself will stay on as an “advisor” to Salami.
The move came after almost a full week of speculation that Tayeb could be sacked. He has a long history of overseeing terrorist operations overseas but recently was named in shock reports, which went global, about plans by the IRGC to assassinate Israeli citizens in Turkey.
In recent years, especially since the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Iranian soil, the poor performance of both the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence – its internal arch-rival – has come under increased scrutiny.
The dearth of information provided by Fars prompted online speculation about what else could have happened. Some suggested there may have been an Israeli plot to assassinate Tayeb himself, or else that given the move coincided with the arrival of Sergei Lavrov in Tehran, that Russia might have influenced the decision behind the scenes.
According to a report, Hossein Taeb was accused of being behind plans to kidnap or kill Israelis in Turkey
Iran has replaced the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit after he was accused of being behind plans to target Israeli tourists in Turkey.
Iranian state TV reported on Thursday that Hossein Taeb had been appointed as an advisor to the Guards’ commander-in-chief Hossein Salami, just days after Israeli media said he was behind plans to kill or kidnap Israelis in Turkey.
He will be replaced by Mohammad Kazemi, previously head of the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Protection unit.
Before becoming the Guards intelligence chief in 2009, Taeb worked at the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israel raised its Istanbul travel advisory to the highest alert level on 13 June because of what it said was a threat of Iranian attempts to kill or abduct Israelis vacationing in Turkey.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid urged citizens in Turkey to leave “as soon as possible” over the threats.
In an indirect response that did not mention Israel, Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement last week that while “some countries” had issued travel warnings, Turkey “is a safe country and continues to fight against terrorism”.
“These travel warnings are considered to be related to different international developments and motives,” it added.
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The warnings come amid a surge in tensions between Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming Israel for a series of attacks on its nuclear and military infrastructure.
According to The New York Times, Iran suspects that Israel killed two of its scientists a few weeks ago by poisoning their food.
Ayoub Entezari and Kamran Aghamolaei died in separate incidents under murky circumstances that Iran suspects were targeted killings, the Times reported, citing an Iranian official and two other sources connected to the government.
Turkey is a popular holiday destination for Israelis, including through more than a decade of diplomatic rupture between the two countries.
Ankara and Israel have mended ties in recent months, with senior Turkish leaders citing the importance of Israel to Turkey’s tourism sector.
