A recent report by Iran International revealed the first photo of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) cyber warfare units, Hamid Reza Lashgarian, but, according to Intelli Times, Lashgarian’s central role is developing Iran’s electronic warfare efforts.
Lashgarian was first identified in mainstream media last year when Sky News identified him as the head of the IRGC's Intelligence Team 13 in a report on leaked classified documents showing Iranian research into how a cyber attack could be used to sink a cargo ship or blow up a fuel pump. The cell led by Lashgarian has also been called the Shahid Kaveh unit.
In a report on Monday, Iran International revealed a photo of Lashgarian alongside the photos of three other figures central to Iranian cyber warfare. Sketches of the IRGC official had been published on intelligence sites in the past.
Independent Israeli intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon, who runs the Intelli Times blog, explained to The Jerusalem Post that Lashgarian is a Brigadier General who heads the IRGC-Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization (IRGC-EWCD) and some of his central work is in developing Tehran's electronic warfare capabilities.
What is electronic warfare?
While cyber warfare involves infiltrating computer systems and damaging them and/or extracting information, electronic warfare involves using electromagnetic signals or energy to control, attack, damage or disable enemy equipment, including drones, missiles, radars and more. Iran could use electronic warfare equipment to impede everything from the IDF’s drones, radar and even equipment like the Iron Dome.
Solomon shared a number of documents showing Lashgarian's roles in the IRGC with the Post, including a certificate of appreciation that the IRGC official received for organizing an electronic warfare exercise and a number of articles he wrote on the subject in Iranian journals.
Intelli Times additionally identified Lashgarian's deputy as Col. Ali Mogadi and published a sketch of Mogadi's face.
While Lashgarian's name is not a household name, Solomon stressed that the IRGC official is the electronic warfare equivalent of assassinated Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was known as the father of Iran's nuclear program.
Lashgarian's written works
Lashgarian has written a series of papers on electronic warfare and is leading electronic warfare research at the Imam Hossein University. Intelli Times showed the Post a plaque of appreciation that Lashgarian had received for conducting an electronic warfare exercise.
Papers written by Lashgarian include: "The role of UAVs in the field of electronic warfare, integration needs and challenges," "Investigating the Bayesian method to reduce ambiguity in the problem of identifying marine targets" and "Analyzing enemy behavior using Markov models based on electronic warfare observations in a situational awareness environment."
During the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) Herzliya conference on Monday, Mossad head David Barnea stressed that Israel would strike Iranian officials who conduct or order attacks against Israeli citizens, saying this will happen in "Tehran, Kermanshah and Isfahan.”
Solomon pointed out that Lashgarian is from Isfahan and that Barnea may have been referencing the IRGC official when mentioning the city. Fakhrizadeh, the scientist Solomon compared Lashgarian to, was assassinated near Tehran in 2020 in an assassination blamed on Israel.