Who are the key figures killed in Israel's strikes on Iran?

The National

2 days ago

Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites and ballistic missile factories on Friday, marking the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. The strikes hit several cities including the capital Tehran.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency confirmed the deaths of prominent military commanders and nuclear scientists in the Israeli strikes.
It reported that Maj Gen Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed, along with another senior IRGC commander, Maj Gen Gholam Ali Rashid and his son.
The chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Gen Mohammad Bagheri, was also killed state television reported.
Two prominent Iranian nuclear scientists, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi, were also killed, according to the Tasnim news agency. It later reported that six had been killed in total.
Maj Gen Hossein Salami
Born in Golpayegan, Maj Gen Salami joined the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War, when he was a college student. He rose through the ranks and was appointed IRGC chief in 2019. Maj Gen Salami was known for his staunch anti-Israel and anti-US rhetoric. In March, he vowed swift retaliation against those who might attack Tehran: 'If a threat is carried out, we will respond in the most severe manner – decisive, crushing and devastating.'
Under his leadership, the IRGC expanded its regional influence through proxies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. He was central to Iran's missile and drone programmes.
Gen Mohammad Bagheri
Gen Bagheri became the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces in 2016. Previously a high-ranking IRGC officer, he played a central role in co-ordinating Iran's regular army (Artesh), the IRGC and law enforcement forces.
Gen Bagheri joined the IRGC in the early 1980s, serving in the Iran-Iraq War and later rising through the ranks in intelligence and operational planning. He held a PhD in political geography and was affiliated with Iran's top military academic institutions, including the Supreme National Defence University.
As military chief, Gen Bagheri was instrumental in expanding Iran's missile and drone programmes, as well as deepening military co-operation with Russia, China, and regional allies such as Syria and Hezbollah. He also took a prominent public stance during periods of regional tension, including voicing support for certain Palestinian groups and overseeing air defence alerts in Tehran.
Gen Bagheri was sanctioned by western governments for his role in weapons proliferation and the suppression of nationwide protests in 2022–2023.
Maj Gen Gholam Ali Rashid
Maj Gen Rashid served as commander of Khatam Al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's strategic joint command overseeing operations of the IRGC, regular army, intelligence and drone and missile deployments, from June 2016.
He began his military career during the Iran–Iraq War, later becoming deputy chief of staff of Iran's armed forces.
Maj Gen Rashid was a key architect of Iran's regional military outreach. In interviews he acknowledged controlling 'six armies' abroad – including Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen – as strategic deterrents.
He publicly warned that attacking Iran would be a 'strategic mistake' and supported forward defence across the Middle East.
He was designated and sanctioned by western governments for his role in weapons proliferation, command of the missile and drone programmes and leading Iran's military co-ordination.