Israel’s massive airstrike attack left Iran’s military leadership in crisis as it killed several senior Iranian commanders — including the head of its Revolutionary Guard.
At least 20 senior Iranian commanders were killed in Israel’s strikes on Iran on Friday, sources said. Six nuclear scientists have also been confirmed killed in the strikes.
The strikes came after talks to reach a deal on Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program failed, raising Israeli fears that Iran would produce a nuclear weapon.
Firefighters work outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes north of Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025. ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A map of Iran where Israel’s airstrikes struck on June 13, 2025.
Below is a list of those confirmed killed:
Military
Gen. Hossein Salami was the leader of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard. AFP via Getty ImagesGen. Hossein Salami
Gen. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, was confirmed dead by Iranian state television in a major blow to Iranian leadership.
Salami, 65, rose to become one of Iran’s most powerful men after he was appointed as head of the guard in 2019 by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He was known for his threatening rhetoric towards Israel in speeches — including In a 2016 address in which he claimed there was “fertile ground” for the “annihilation, the wiping out, and the collapse of the Zionist regime.”
Khamenei tapped Mohammad Pakpour to replace Salami as head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh was the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program. AFP via Getty ImagesGen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program, was also killed overnight, Israel and Iranian officials confirmed.
The Israeli military said he was killed when it hit an “underground command center” where Revolutionary Guard officials were preparing “for an attack on the state of Israel.”
Two other senior officials were also killed in the same strike, Israel said.
“Hajizadeh publicly declared his commitment to Israel’s destruction at various events in recent years and played a central role in developing the Iranian regime’s plan for Israel’s destruction,” the Israeli military said.
Hajizadeh claimed responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020 which killed 176 people.
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Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. AP
People look over damage to buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on June 13. Majid Saeedi
Gen. Mohammad Bagheri served as the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces. AFP via Getty ImagesGen. Mohammad Bagheri
Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and was the country’s highest-ranking military official.
He oversaw both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the rest of the country’s military.
In 2019 Bagheri was sanctioned by the US along with several others in Khamenei’s inner circle, with the Treasury Department claiming that he for decades “oppressed the Iranian people, exported terrorism, and advanced destabilizing policies around the world.”
Khamenei on Friday named Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi as the new head of the armed forces, replacing Bagheri. Mousavi was previously the top army commander.
Gholamali Rashid was the deputy chief of the general staff of the armed forces of Iran. Amin Ahouei / Tasnim News AgencyLt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid
Gholamali Rashid, deputy chief of the general staff of the armed forces of Iran, was killed, Khamenei confirmed.
Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani served as head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. AFP via Getty ImagesFereidoun Abbasi
Abbasi, one of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists, served as head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013 and previously survived an assassination attempt in Tehran in 2010.
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi was head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University in Tehran. Tasnim News AgencyThe hardliner, who also served as a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024, said in an interview just last month that he would happily help build nuclear weapons if ordered.
He also claimed that a strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would have no impact on the timeline it would take to develop nuclear weapons.
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi
Tehranchi was head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
Four other scientists killed in Friday’s strikes are Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh.
Ali Shamkhani
Ali Shamkhani, a top military and nuclear advisor and close friend to Khomeini, was also killed in Friday’s attacks, Iranian state TV network IRINN confirmed.
Ali Shamkhani was a top military and nuclear advisor. Getty ImagesShamkhani, an important diplomat, told NBC News just last month that Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons and other concessions in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.
Shamkhani served Iran’s top national security official for a decade starting in 2013 before he was abruptly replaced, CNN reported.
He previously served in a number of important roles, including in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the ministry of defense.
With Post Wires
