The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed after Israel launched a series of airstrikes on the country’s nuclear facilities.
Major General Hossein Salami, one of the most powerful men in Iran, was killed during the Thursday attacks, along with several other high-ranking members of the Iranian military.
Israel’s strikes targeted key nuclear sites such as the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. They also destroyed underground structures and supporting infrastructure. The operation involved over 200 Israeli fighter jets and cyberattacks to disrupt Iran’s command-and-control systems. Israeli forces struck over 100 targets overall.
So far, Iran has reported 78 deaths and 329 injuries from the attacks, some of which hit residential areas in Tehran and other cities, according to The Independent.
BREAKING
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 13, 2025
Islamic Republic of Iran state media says the top commander of the IRGC, Hossein Salami, was targeted in the Israeli airstrikes and is dead.
(IRGC: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) pic.twitter.com/Yc8Nmv9gO4
Salami was responsible for overseeing Iran’s most elite military forces. He reported to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, CNN reported. The IRGC is known to fund and provide resources for several militias and terrorist groups that have attacked Israeli and US military personnel in the Middle East. It is also believed to be funding the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
President Donald Trump on Friday chided Iran’s government for refusing to come to the negotiating table and hammer out a new nuclear deal. “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to “make a deal.” They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” he wrote.
Israel’s attack did not only involve airstrikes. Mossad operatives were seen in footage on the ground carrying out precision strikes against Iran’s air defenses and ballistic missile launchers.
🚨 Israeli Mossad reportedly confirms it has over 50 covert teams inside Iran as part of Operation #RisingLion — including Israeli and Iranian operatives.
— Defence Index (@Defence_Index) June 13, 2025
Their mission includes:
• Disrupting IRGC ballistic missile deployments
• Targeted strikes using FPV drones and Spike NLOS… pic.twitter.com/2lXrAq4BSO
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the airstrikes, saying they were a preemptive measure to prevent the Iranian regime from developing nuclear weapons. He claimed Iran possessed enough enriched uranium to create nine atomic bombs.
Israel also stated that the operation was in response to Iran’s “genocidal rhetoric” and its support for terrorist groups like Hezbolllah and Hamas.
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