A targeted strike has eliminated the leader of the hacker group 'Handala', according to reports. Details on the location and timing remain unclear.
The head of the 'Handala' hacker group has been killed in a targeted strike, according to initial unconfirmed reports. The single Hebrew-language report that emerged earlier today identifies the target as the group's leader but provides no details on the location, timing, or identity. This follows a development thread The Zioneer has tracked since Wednesday night.
As reported by The Zioneer, the story began at 23:05 Jerusalem on Wed Jun 24, with unverified reports of an Iranian hacker group commander killed during 'Operation Roaring Lion'. Within the same hour, an IRGC intelligence-linked source confirmed the commander was Yehia Hosseini Panjaki, who led the 'Khanzala' group responsible for hacking senior Israeli officials. By 23:05, Israeli media identified Panjaki as a deputy chief of internal security at Iran's intelligence ministry, under US Treasury sanctions since 2024. By 23:05, Iran officially acknowledged his death, confirming he was the commander of a cyber cell targeting Israel.
The group 'Handala' (also reported as 'Khanzala' or 'Khanzala' in prior coverage) has been linked to cyber-breaches of devices belonging to former Israeli officials including Naftali Bennett, Herzi Halevi, and Yoav Gallant, as The Zioneer reported on Wed Jun 24. The background of the group's composition and full operational history is not detailed in this report.
The identity of the person eliminated, the precise location and timing of the strike remain unverified. The report is sourced from a single unconfirmed Hebrew-language report; the Zioneer has no independent confirmation.
7 developments
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- StrongConfirmation: Hezbollah communications unit commander killed in Beirut strike
- StrongIDF says it eliminated another senior Hezbollah commander, closes 'important circle'
Source and signal
- Internal intake