For the first time, Iran has officially acknowledged that Yehia Hosseini Panjaki — the commander of the 'Khanzala' hacker group, one of the most active and dangerous cyber cells targeting Israel — was killed in a targeted strike during the recent war, according to Iranian state-affiliated reports. Panjaki also served as deputy chief of internal security at Iran's intelligence ministry.
Iran has officially acknowledged the death of Yehia Hosseini Panjaki, the commander of the IRGC-linked 'Khanzala' cyber-warfare group and deputy chief of internal security at its intelligence ministry, according to state-affiliated reports. This confirmation, carried by Iranian channels, marks the first time Tehran has admitted the targeted killing — referred to as Operation Roaring Lion — after days of evolving reports. The development follows earlier unverified claims and partial confirmations that emerged throughout the evening of Wednesday, June 24.
The thread began with initial unverified reports (Wednesday, 23:05 Jerusalem) identifying Panjaki as the commander of the hacker group. By the same timestamp, a profile published by The Zioneer revealed he also served as deputy chief of internal security at Iran's intelligence ministry and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2024. Later that evening, an IRGC-affiliated source confirmed his role as group leader and disclosed details of Khanzala's cyber-breaches of senior Israeli officials' devices, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Shin Bet official Tzachi Braverman. The confirmation has since broadened from a single source to official state-affiliated acknowledgment, strengthening the credibility of the original claim.
As The Zioneer reported in its profile (Thursday, June 25, 09:05 Jerusalem), Panjaki's dual role as both a ministry official and cyber-commander underscores the IRGC's deep integration of cyber operations into its asymmetric warfare against Israel. Khanzala had gained notoriety for exfiltrating data from cellphones of Israeli officials and conducting persistent cyber-attacks on government networks.
The precise date and circumstances of Panjaki's death — reported to have occurred in the early days of the operation — remain unconfirmed by Israeli authorities. The full extent of Operation Roaring Lion's impact on Iranian cyber capabilities has not been disclosed.
6 developments
- StrongIranian hacker group Khanzala claims it disrupted US military strike waves electronically
- StrongHacker group Khanzala says joint cyber-IRGC response against 'the enemy' imminent
- DevelopingIranian hacker group Khanzala claims it breached California water facilities as warning
- DevelopingHacker group Khanzala says it passed coordinates of US forces in Gulf to IRGC
Source and signal
- Internal intake