Iranian news agency Tasnim reports that IRGC Commander Hossein Salami was eliminated in a strike. Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri also eliminated. Khamenei himself is alive.
Iranian television reported early Friday morning that the Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, was eliminated in an Israeli strike.
“He was killed in a strike by the Zionist regime,” said the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
According to unconfirmed reports, Fereydoon Abbasi—former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization—was also eliminated. Abbasi, a nuclear physicist, survived an assassination attempt 15 years ago that was attributed to Israel.
In addition, Iranian sources reported that Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University, was also eliminated.
Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency Nour News reported that Ali Shamkhani, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt.
Khamenei himself, according to sources quoted by the Reuters news agency, is alive and receiving updates on the Israeli strikes.
An Iranian official told The New York Times that the Shahid Moghaddam neighborhood, a residential complex in Tehran housing senior Iranian military commanders, was targeted in the strike, and three buildings were destroyed.
According to a senior Israeli official, alongside the extensive Israel Air Force strikes, the Mossad carried out a series of covert operations deep inside Iran. These operations aimed to damage Iran’s strategic missile infrastructure and its air defense capabilities.
A spokesperson for the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces responded to the Israeli strikes in Iran.
“The Zionist enemy and the United States will pay a very heavy price. Iran will respond harshly against the Zionist regime. The Zionist attack on civilian areas has been confirmed, and our response will be certain. Iran is at 100% military readiness, and the enemy will suffer a painful blow.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio published a statement after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion against Iran.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,” he said.
“President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” added Rubio.
