Israeli airstrikes early Friday morning inflicted a severe blow to Iran’s military and political leadership, killing at least three senior generals, a high-ranking politician, and two prominent nuclear scientists, according to Iranian state media and officials.
The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of three top Iranian commanders. In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acted quickly to appoint replacements, in an apparent move to avoid internal instability and maintain control of the military command.
Among those killed was Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces and the most senior military official after the Supreme Leader. He has been replaced by Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, according to state news agency IRNA. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was also confirmed dead and succeeded by Gen. Mohammad Pakpour. Gen. Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander of the armed forces, and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led the IRGC’s aerospace division, were also killed.
In a further escalation, Ali Shamkhani—a senior political figure and key advisor to Khamenei—was also confirmed dead by Iranian media and three senior officials. Shamkhani had played a pivotal role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Two leading nuclear scientists were among the casualties: Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranji, a respected theoretical physicist and president of Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
At least one more general was reportedly killed, though Iranian authorities have yet to confirm the claim made by Israeli military officials.
The strike represents one of the most extensive hits to Iran’s military and scientific leadership in recent memory, and comes amid rising regional tensions. Further international reaction is awaited as Iran weighs its next move.