Iranian Major General Amir Hatami appointed new Army chief amid attacks from Israel: Who is he?
Commander-in-Chief Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ordered the appointment of Major General Amir Hatami as Chief Commander of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of major reshuffle at Iran's military top leadership, Tehran Times reported. This comes following the assassination of General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the head of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), by Israel's series of airstrikes in Iran's capital.
According to an official decree on Friday, the decision was announced where Khamenei stated Hatami's 'dedication, competence, and experience' as the basis for the appointment.
'With the Army's vast pool of capable and faithful personnel, and the experience gained during the Sacred Defense and beyond, it is expected that under your command, efforts to enhance combat readiness, strengthen spiritual and ideological foundations, improve personnel welfare, and boost cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces will accelerate,' the decree read.
Hatami, 59, succeeded Hossein Dehghan and preceded Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani. He was Iran's Defense Minister from 2013 to 2021 and has now taken command of the country's regular military forces amid escalating regional tensions.
He is the first defense minister with an Artesh background in over two decades, breaking a pattern in place since 1989, when the position had been exclusively held by officers from the Revolutionary Guards. Hatami studied at Imam Ali Officers' Academy, AJA University of Command and Staff, National Defense University.
Iran and Israel exchanged missile and airstrikes early Saturday, after Israel carried out its largest air assault to date against its longtime adversary in an effort to halt its nuclear weapons development. In Iran, numerous explosions were heard in the capital Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency report said.
Iranian missiles broke through Israel's air defenses on Friday, marking a significant test for the country's defensive systems. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, Israel has faced a barrage of threats, including short-range rockets, medium-range missiles, attack drones, and ballistic missiles launched from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. The long-range ballistic missiles fired Friday night posed one of the toughest challenges yet.
Iranian missiles injured 34 people in Israel, whereas Israel's strikes in Iran led to 78 deaths, leaving 329 others injured.
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