Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was martyred in a targeted Israeli airstrike on Tehran in the early hours of Friday, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported.
The attack marks one of the deadliest blows to Iran’s military command in recent history and comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Bagheri, who served as Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, held oversight of the country’s conventional military and coordinated closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israeli strikes, described by analysts as the most expansive assault on the Iranian capital in years, also killed senior IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists. Among the dead were IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami and Major General Gholamali Rashid, head of the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.
Additionally, two prominent Iranian nuclear experts — Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University, and Fereydoon Abbasi, a former chief of the Atomic Energy Organization — were also confirmed killed in the strikes.
Iranian state and semi-official media outlets reported that the attacks struck both military sites and residential buildings, leading to several civilian casualties. Flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport were suspended following the incident.
The airstrikes come just days ahead of a new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, threatening to derail diplomatic efforts amid deepening regional volatility.
No official statement has yet been issued by the Israeli government. However, the scale and precision of the operation suggest a strategic attempt to dismantle Iran’s senior command structure and nuclear expertise.
General Bagheri, a central figure in shaping Iran’s defense posture in recent years, was widely regarded as a key architect of the country’s military coordination with proxy forces across the region. His assassination is expected to further strain regional ties and provoke strong reactions from Tehran.
Funeral plans for General Bagheri and the others martyred are expected to be announced soon, with the Iranian leadership declaring national mourning.
