Israel Kills Iranian Chief of Staff of Armed Forces and Other Top Military Officials and Scientists

A series of Israeli airstrikes on Friday dealt a significant blow to Iran’s military leadership, resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking officials, according to Iranian state media and government sources.

Among those reportedly killed is Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, one of the most senior figures in the country’s military structure. Though official confirmation from the armed forces is still pending, multiple Iranian outlets have reported his death.

General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was also reportedly killed in a strike that targeted a location in Tehran. A statement released by the IRGC confirmed his death along with others within the same security body.

The strikes, which extended to cities including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Arak, appear to have targeted both military and residential locations. Iranian officials confirmed that several senior personnel were hit in their homes, some located in military compounds.

Ali Shamkhani, a former navy commander and close adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also succumbed to injuries sustained during an attack on his residence. Shamkhani had been overseeing nuclear negotiations with the U.S. as part of a high-level diplomatic committee.

Other reported fatalities include Gen. Gholamali Rashid, physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranji, and nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi. Their deaths further deepen the disruption in Iran’s defense and nuclear command structure.