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Israel’s deadliest strikes on Iran wipe out top generals, nuclear scientists

Among those killed are Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Hossein Salami, chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and senior IRGC commander Gholam Ali Rashid, head of Iranian military's central headquarters.

19 hours ago

Several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists were killed in large-scale Israeli airstrikes that targeted Tehran and other cities across the country in the early hours of Friday, according to Iranian state media.

Main targets in strikes include residences of some high-ranking commanders of Iranian Army, Revolutionary Guard Corps, plus Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility.

Among those killed are Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, General Hossein Salami, chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and senior IRGC commander General Gholam Ali Rashid, head of the central headquarters of the Iranian military.

The Israeli attacks also claimed the lives of prominent Iranian nuclear scientists. The semi-official Tasnim news agency identified the assassinated scientists as Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, Motablizadeh, Mohammed Mehdi Tehranchi, and Fereydoun Abbasi.

Abbasi, a former lawmaker, previously survived an assassination attempt in 2010.

The Israeli strikes began around 3:00 a.m. local time (2330 GMT) and targeted both military and nuclear facilities, as well as residential areas, according to reports from Iranian media.

Among the locations hit in Tehran were upscale northern neighbourhoods such as Qeytariyeh, Niavaran, Nobonyad, Mahallati, Kamraniyeh, Saadatabad, and Andarzgoo. Other areas struck included Mehrabad, Narmak, Sattarkhan, Farahzadi, and additional districts across the capital.

Outside Tehran, the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran’s central Isfahan province was also targeted. Videos circulating online showed flames and plumes of smoke rising near the facility, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has also confirmed that the “Natanz site (was) among targets.”

The Parchin military complex, located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Tehran, was also reportedly hit, along with several other military bases in the capital.

Media reports further indicated strikes on military installations in Mazandaran province in the north.

Explosions were also reported in several other cities, including Qom, Khorramabad, Hamedan, Tabriz, Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and Arak, according to local sources.

Iran vows “severe punishment”

In response to the attacks, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a strongly worded statement, condemning the aggression and vowing severe retaliation.

“The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands. It has revealed its malicious nature even more than before by targeting residential areas,” he said.

“That [Zionist] regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished.”

The statement confirmed that several Iranian military commanders and scientists have been killed in the attacks, while emphasising that their successors will immediately continue their missions.

“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see,” said Khamenei.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, chief spokesperson for the Iranian military, also issued a stern warning, declaring that Israel “will pay a heavy price.”

“They must expect a harsh response from the armed forces, and they will receive one. There is no need for concern. Both the US and the Zionist regime will face a severe response,” Shekarchi told Iranian state TV.

The Israeli strikes come amid heightened regional tensions, exacerbated by recent threats from top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to launch attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The escalation also casts doubt over the future of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The sixth round of indirect talks, scheduled for Sunday, is now likely to be cancelled, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Casualties and attacks, Senior officials killed:

- Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iranian military chief of staff
- Gen. Hossein Salami, IRGC chief
- Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, senior IRGC commander
- Fereydoun Abbasi, nuclear scientist
- Mohammed Mehdi Tehranchi, nuclear scientist
- Abdolhamid Minouchehr, nuclear scientist
- Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, nuclear scientist
- Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, nuclear scientist
- Motblizadeh, nuclear scientist