Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard killed in Israeli strike – reports

The IDF launched a “preemptive” attack on military and nuclear sites on Friday.

Major General Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in an Israeli strike on Tehran on Friday, according to multiple local news agencies.

Israel said its Air Force carried out dozens of strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, including the enrichment facility in Natanz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the operation was intended to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

According to reports cited by Press TV, the victims also include Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, along with nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.

Iranian officials have not commented on casualties or damage on the ground. However, local media reported that civilians were killed during strikes on residential areas in Tehran.

The attack took place just days before the sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Oman. US President Donald Trump recently accused Tehran of “slow-walking” the negotiations after previous rounds failed to produce a breakthrough. On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.

Iran has denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, insisting instead on its right to conduct nuclear research for civilian purposes.