Latest news with #Vahidi
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Nevatim, Tel Nof, Ovda airbases targeted in Iranian missile strikes, IRGC claims
Listen to article Iran has launched a large-scale retaliatory strike on Israeli military targets in what it calls Operation True Promise III, a senior Iranian commander announced Friday night. The escalation comes just hours after a deadly Israeli airstrike hit residential areas and strategic facilities in Tehran and elsewhere, killing several top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, a senior advisor to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told Iranian state television that the operation targeted three Israeli airbases believed to have been involved in launching attacks on Iran. Speaking to Tasnim News, General Vahidi said missiles struck Nevatim and Ovda airbases—key Israeli military installations said to house command-and-control systems and electronic warfare capabilities—as well as Tel Nof airbase near Tel Aviv. Additional strikes reportedly targeted Israel's Ministry of Defense and military-industrial sites in central Tel Aviv. Vahidi further said that 150 targets were identified and hit in a multi-phase assault involving hundreds of ballistic missiles, which it said managed to penetrate Israel's multi-layered air defense system. The Iranian assault follows an early morning Israeli attack on June 13 that killed several senior military officials, including Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, and Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC. At least six Iranian nuclear scientists were also reported killed. In a televised statement, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the Israeli attack and vowed severe retribution. 'With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see,' he said. The Israeli government has not yet issued an official response to Iran's claims.
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Iranian Revolutionary Guards announce missile strikes targeting 150 sites in Israel
The top advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Ahamd Vahidi, discussed the extensive missile strikes launched by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps against Israel on Friday evening, as part of a military operation code-named 'Promise of Truth III.' Vahidi explained that the highly precise operation targeted vital and strategic sites deep within Israeli territory and took place across multiple stages, according to what he announced in an interview broadcast on Iranian state television. The Iranian military official confirmed that the strikes included the Nevatim Air Base, which he described as one of the pivotal bases of the Israeli Air Force, where F-35, F-16, and F-15 fighter jets were stationed, in addition to cargo and refueling aircraft, command and control centers, and units specialized in electronic warfare. The attacks included the Israeli Ministry of Defense and some military industrial facilities used in the manufacture of weapons and military equipment targeting the people of the region, he said. Vahidi added that the attacks struck over 150 targets, which were identified in advance based on accurate intelligence and bombed with successive waves of missiles and drones, in an operation he called 'complex and carefully coordinated.' Vahidi also directly accused the US for the attack, asserting that, 'The Zionist entity would not have been able to carry out these attacks without direct American support.' The US President's statements following the Israeli strike confirm Washington's involvement in the operation, he said, explaining that America's forces participated in intercepting Iranian missiles and provided direct assistance to the Israeli army. Vahidi also revealed that some Israeli attacks on Iran were launched from Iraqi airspace and logistically funded by the US, which he called a blatant violation of regional sovereignty and direct participation in the aggression against his country. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran calls Israeli strikes a 'declaration of war,' swiftly replaces killed military leaders
Iran's foreign minister is calling Israel's strikes on its nuclear facilities and military leaders a "declaration of war" on Friday, as Tehran quickly replaced top commanders who were killed in the attacks, according to multiple media reports. The comments from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi come as his department also released a statement claiming Israel's "aggression against Iran could not have been carried out without the coordination and approval of the United States." "Consequently, the U.S. government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility for the dangerous repercussions of the Zionist regime's reckless actions," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday. The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami and the country's chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, were killed by Israel's strikes. As of Friday morning, Ahmad Vahidi was appointed to temporarily replace Salami, while Habibollah Sayyari will fill in for Bagheri, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing Iranian media. Live Updates: Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' On Iran Vahidi previously held the roles of Iran's defense minister and interior minister and once led the IRGC's elite Quds Force (QF) from 1988 to 1998, the Jerusalem Post added. It noted that during his time with the IRGC-QF, Vahidi was linked to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which left 85 dead. Read On The Fox News App Sayyari is a former marine who led Iran's navy from 2007 to 2017. Israel Hits The 'Heart' Of Iran's Nuclear Program In Natanz Facility Strike Iran's Foreign Ministry said Friday that Israel's strikes "constitute a violation of Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter and a blatant act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. "In accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, Iran reserves the legitimate and legal right to respond to this aggression. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to defend Iran's sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate," it continued. "As a founding member of the United Nations -- an organization whose very purpose is to prevent aggression, breaches of peace, and threats to peace -- the Islamic Republic of Iran underscores the Security Council's obligation to take immediate action against this violation of international peace and security, stemming from the Zionist regime's blatant aggression. We call upon the President and members of the Council to act without delay in this regard," the foreign ministry added. "The grave and far-reaching consequences of the Zionist regime's aggression against our beloved homeland, Iran, will rest entirely upon this regime and its supporters," it also article source: Iran calls Israeli strikes a 'declaration of war,' swiftly replaces killed military leaders
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel attacks Iran: Who is Ahmad Vahidi, the new IRGC chief after Hossein Salami's death?
Ali Khamenei appointed Ahmad Vahidi as the new IRGC commander, following the death of Hossein Salami in an Israeli strike. Vahidi, a former IRGC commander and interior minister, previously led the Quds Force. Habibollah Sayyari was appointed Acting Chief of Staff. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Ahmad Vahidi Returns to IRGC Leadership Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Ahmad Vahidi's Work in the IRGC IRGC Ramadan Garrison, a framework for part of the IRGC's terrorist operation outside Iran, reported National Council of Resistance of Iran. IRGC Bilal Garrison, which is in charge of terrorist operations abroad, National Council of Resistance of Iran. IRGC Al-Ansar Garrison, which is tasked with spreading terrorism in Iran's neighboring countries and was responsible for attacking the Iranian opposition's headquarters in Pakistan in 1987, National Council of Resistance of Iran. FAQs After the Israeli strike on Iran killed Hossein Salami , the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC ) chief, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei named Ahmad Vahidi as its commander-in-chief, according to an Iran Wire IRGC has called for a "severe and regretful revenge" for Israel's attacks that killed many senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists, as per Iran Wire. IRGC emphasised that "the miscalculation and crime of the sworn enemies of Iran and Iranians will not go unanswered," quoted Iran to a statement, "By the Supreme Leader's decree, Habibollah Sayyari was appointed Acting Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and General Vahidi as Commander of the IRGC," quoted reportAs per Iran Wire, the newly appointed head of IRGC, Vahidi, had been a former IRGC commander and was the the Interior Minister in Ebrahim Raisi's was born in June 1958 and was named Ahmad Shah Cheraghi at birth, as per the National Council of Resistance of Iran. When the IRGC's Quds Force was formed in 1988, he became its first commander, according to the per the National Council of Resistance of Iran report, he had also been the Minister of Defence in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government and then became a member of the regime's Expediency Council and head of its political, defence, and security READ: Mossad's masterstroke? Israeli spies may have used Ukraine's SBU playbook to shatter Iran's missile shield He has also launched many of the IRGC's garrisons responsible for organising terrorist activities, including:He's a senior Iranian military figure, a founding commander of the Quds Force, and now the newly appointed head of the IRGC, as per the Israeli airstrikes killed Salami and other key officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tapped Vahidi.
