Jerusalem: In a major blow to Tehran’s leadership, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) said its fighter jets carried out precise strikes on military targets across Iran, reportedly killing seven senior Iranian defence officials, including Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour.
In a post on X, the IAF said: “IAF fighter jets precisely struck military targets across Iran, eliminating seven senior officials of the Iranian defense leadership: Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Hossein Jabal Amelian, Reza Mozaffari-Nia. The world is a better place without them.”
Iran has not yet confirmed the deaths.
The Israeli military also said missiles were recently launched from Iran toward Israeli territory. Defence systems are actively intercepting the threat, and the Home Front Command has instructed residents in affected areas to enter protected spaces and follow official alerts until further notice.
“The IDF identified that a short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IAF said in another post, urging the public to follow safety instructions.
“The Air Force completed another wave of strikes targeting the ballistic missile array and air defense systems of the Iranian regime in central Iran,” the IDF added.
On Saturday, the United States and Israel carried out joint missile attacks on Iran, with large explosions reported in Tehran and other major cities, signalling a sharp escalation that risks expanding tensions into a broader regional conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran retaliated by targeting Israel and U.S. assets in multiple Gulf states. Multiple explosions were heard in Tehran and other locations across the country.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israel informed senior officials that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, and that his body was found under the rubble. Iran has not confirmed the report.