The Israeli military on Friday claimed to have killed Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in an overnight airstrike on what it described as an underground command facility.
In a brief statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike targeted a high-value bunker believed to be used by senior IRGC officials. “Fighter jets struck an underground command headquarters deep inside Iranian territory. The operation resulted in the elimination of Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC Aerospace Force, along with two other senior officers,” the IDF said.
The claim could not be independently verified. Iranian authorities have yet to confirm or deny the reports, and no official statement has been issued from Tehran at the time of filing this report.
General Hajizadeh was widely regarded as one of the architects of Iran’s missile and drone programs and played a key role in shaping the country’s aerial defence strategy. His reported death comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel following Israel’s large-scale strikes earlier this week targeting military, nuclear, and intelligence infrastructure across several Iranian cities.
If confirmed, the killing of Hajizadeh would mark a significant blow to Iran’s military capabilities and leadership structure. It would also further escalate the confrontation between the two regional adversaries, which has already triggered fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
