Latest news with #GholamAliRashid
LBCI
a day ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel strikes deep: Top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists assassinated
Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Mariella Succar Israel's strikes on Iran extended far beyond targeting nuclear facilities under the pretext of dismantling Tehran's atomic program. The attacks also focused on the top tier of Iran's military leadership, as well as key figures in its nuclear science community. Within just hours of the initial strikes, four senior Iranian military commanders and several high-ranking officers were reportedly killed, along with six nuclear scientists. Reuters cited two Iranian sources who confirmed that at least 20 senior commanders were killed in the attacks. Who were the targeted generals? Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's highest-ranking military official, served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is sanctioned for his role in Iran's nuclear and military programs. Israel accuses him of being a key architect of Iran's regional military strategy. Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, plays a major role in Iran's emergency military response planning. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, was reportedly killed alongside senior commanders in an underground meeting. Among them were the heads of the IRGC's drone command and air defense systems Israel's strikes also targeted prominent Iranian nuclear scientists: Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, a nuclear physicist, engineer, and university professor who held the rank of brigadier general in the IRGC. He played a central role in Iran's uranium enrichment program. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, regarded as one of Iran's leading nuclear scientists. Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a professor of nuclear engineering. The assassination of high-ranking military commanders, aerospace leaders, and nuclear scientists is reminiscent of Israel's past operations in Lebanon. There, it systematically targeted Hezbollah's senior leadership, including commanders of the Radwan Force. That campaign culminated in the assassinations of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior official Hashem Safieddine within days of each other. At the time, the "Pager" operation marked a turning point in the conflict with Hezbollah. Today, the Mossad-led operation—years in the making from inside Iran—appears to mark a similar inflection point in Israel's ongoing confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Iran to retaliate against Israel in ‘near future'
Tehran has not yet retaliated against Israel's ongoing attack but plans to do so shortly, Fars news agency has reported, citing a security source. The retaliation 'will take place in the near future,' according to the source. The news agency affiliated with Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also refuted Israeli media reports that claim Tehran has already launched a swarm of some 100 kamikaze drones, most of which are said to have been intercepted by Israeli jets before approaching the country's border. The Israeli military launched a major attack on Iran early on Friday, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, including a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and military installations. The offensive, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, continued throughout the day, with repeated airstrikes reported across Iran. The attack killed several senior Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami and Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff Gholam Ali Rashid. Iran's top air force commanders were also reportedly decimated when they were hit by an airstrike during a meeting. At least six high-profile nuclear scientists were also reportedly killed in the attack. The strikes come after five rounds of US-Iranian talks on Iran's nuclear program effectively stalled and failed to produce a breakthrough. The sixth round of negotiations is still scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday. Iran has vowed to retaliate for the attack, claiming that it 'cannot have been carried out without the coordination and authorization of the United States.' US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he had prior knowledge of the strikes, describing them as 'very successful.' At the same time, the US president expressed hope that Iran will still be willing to negotiate and agree to a nuclear deal. '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!' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Tehran death toll rises as Israel pounds Iran in massive airstrikes
Shafaq News/ At least 78 people were killed and 329 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on residential areas in Tehran, Iranian media reported Friday, as Israel launched three waves of attacks targeting nuclear, military, and strategic infrastructure across Iran. According to Iran's semi-official Noor News, the casualty toll comes amid the most severe Israeli assault on Iranian soil in decades. Fars News confirmed that Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was among those killed in a strike on the IRGC's central headquarters in Tehran. Also confirmed dead are General Gholam Ali Rashid, deputy commander of Iran's military, and prominent nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. The Ahmadi Roshan nuclear facility at Natanz was also hit, alongside reports of the death of professor Ahmad Reza Zoulfaghari. A senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, was reportedly critically wounded and transferred to a hospital. The Israeli military said it had completed a targeted operation destroying dozens of Iranian surface-to-surface missile launchers, storage sites, and key military positions. Channel 12 in Israel reported that Mehrabad Airport in Tehran and Bushehr Airport, both used by the Iranian Air Force, were struck during the assault. Iranian reports confirmed repeated strikes on Nujah Air Base in Hamadan province. Furthermore, the Border Guard Commander of Iran's West Azerbaijan province confirmed that an Israeli strike destroyed an IRGC military camp near the Iraqi border, raising concerns about potential spillover effects and increasing Iraqi vulnerability in the conflict. Iranian state TV acknowledged that the Natanz uranium enrichment site was hit multiple times, though no nuclear contamination had been detected so far. The attacks also extended to the cities of Tabriz in the northwest and Kermanshah in the southwest, signaling the breadth of Israel's ongoing Operation Rising Lion. As the assault unfolded, Iran closed its airspace 'until further notice' and placed all vital infrastructure under maximum alert. Fighter jets were seen flying over the northeastern city of Mashhad, reflecting the elevated state of readiness. An Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran is preparing a 'painful' retaliation for the Israeli operation, while Israel remains on high alert after Iran launched more than 100 drones in its initial response, according to an Israeli official.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
All we know about the Iranian military chiefs and nuclear scientists killed by Israel
In the early hours of this morning, Israel launched targeted attacks against Iran, striking more than 100 targets, including the hideouts of senior operatives in the military's leadership. Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites - follow live The strikes eliminated several senior military commanders and six top nuclear scientists. Who were they - and what do we know about them? Mohammad Hossein Bagheri Bagheri was chief of staff of the armed forces of the Iranian regime and the highest ranking military officer in Iran. He was second-highest commander after the country's supreme leader. His involvement in the military dated back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to The Times of Israel, Bagheri was reportedly one of the students who stormed the US embassy in Tehran that year. Hossein Salami Salami was commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's primary military force. He had a history of threatening the US and Israel. Salami previously warned Iran would "open the gates of hell" if attacked by another country. He joined the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq war. Salami had been sanctioned by the UN Security Council and the United States since the 2000s for his involvement in the country's nuclear and military programmes. In a 2016 speech, he said there was "fertile ground" for the "annihilation, the wiping out, and the collapse of the Zionist regime". Gholam-Ali Rashid Rashid was head of the IRGC's Khatam al Anbia headquarters (Emergency Command). He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq. Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani Abbasi was a nuclear scientist and head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013. A hardliner, Abbasi was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi Tehranchi was also a nuclear scientist - and a theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. The Israeli strikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic weapon. Four other scientists killed in the strikes were Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh.
Egypt Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt: Unjustified Israeli attacks on Iran extremely dangerous escalation
Egyptian flag flaps against Nile river - Flickr CAIRO – 13 June 2025: Egypt strongly condemned the military strikes carried out by the Israeli army against Iran in the early hours of June 13, 2025. 'These attacks represent a blatant and extremely dangerous escalation in the region, a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and a direct threat to both regional and international peace and security,' the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. 'Egypt is following these rapid developments with deep concern and firmly denounces this unjustified act, which will only exacerbate the crisis and risks triggering a broader regional conflict. Such escalation could have unprecedented consequences for the region's security and stability, endangering its peoples and threatening to plunge the entire Middle East into widespread chaos,' the statement continued. Egypt reiterated its position that the crises facing the region cannot be resolved through military means, but rather through political and peaceful solutions. The Ministry stressed that the use of force will not bring security to any country, including Israel. True security, it emphasized, can only be achieved by respecting state sovereignty, preserving the unity and territorial integrity of nations, delivering justice, and ending the Israeli occupation of Arab lands. Israel carried out airstrikes on several Iranian cities, inclduing nuclear sites, in the early hours of June 13, 2025, killing dozens of Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders. The Israeli army said in a statement on Friday that it luanhced a 'preemptive strike against Iran's Nuclear Program' with more than 200 Israeli Air Force fighter jets, operating with precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, conducted coordinated strikes on over 100 targets across Iran. Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli operation against Iran could last for weeks amid Iranian threat of a severe retaliation. Iranian military leaders killed in the Israeli airstrikes include Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian General Staff, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid. The Khatam al Anbiya Headquarters is a Unified Combatant Command Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, operating under the direct command of the General Staff, is responsible for planning and coordinating joint military operations across all branches of Iran's armed forces. Also, Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in the airstrikes. Besides killing civilians inlcuding women and children, six nuclear sceintists were killed in the israeli airstrike; Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that the scientists killed included Fereydoun Abbasi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a prominent physicist and president of Islamic Azad University. Several world countries, inlcuding, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, and Oman- the broker of the US/Iranian talks on the Iranian nucleary program- condemned the Israeli attacks, saying these blatant attacks violate the interntaional laws. Additionally, several countries suspended their flights to and from Iran and Israel.
