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IDF confirms killing top Iranian leaders, including top defense official Ali Shamkhani

01 March 2026 00:48 (UTC +04:00)

The IDF confirms killing several members of Iran’s security leadership, including top defense official Ali Shamkhani and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, APA reports citing Times of Israel.

Israel’s opening strikes in Iran this morning began with a “surprise attack after the Military Intelligence Directorate identified two locations in Tehran where senior figures of the Iranian security leadership had convened,” the military says.

The IDF says it can confirm the deaths of the following officials in the strikes:

Ali Shamkhani, a former IRGC Navy chief and Iranian army chief, and a top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel targeted him in last June’s war, and initially believed it had killed him.

Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC. The IDF says Pakpour led Iran’s “plan to destroy Israel,” and he was responsible for missile and drone attacks on Israel, supporting Iran’s proxy groups, and ” effectively commanded the violent suppression of Iranian protesters during the internal protests last month.”

Salah Asadi, the chief of intelligence in Iran’s military emergency headquarters, and the senior intelligence officer of Iran’s armed forces’ general staff. The IDF says he was also involved in Iran’s “plan to destroy Israel.”

Mohammad Shirazi, the chief of Khamenei’s military bureau since 1989. The IDF says he was responsible for “the liaison between the senior commanders of the armed forces and the leader, and was a central figure in the top ranks of the Iranian terror regime.”

Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s minister of defense, and a former chief of the Iranian air force and deputy chief of staff. The IDF says he was responsible for “industries producing long-range missiles and weapons transferred to regime proxies, as well as for the SPND organization, which advanced projects in the fields of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.”

Hossein Jabal-Amelian, chairman of SPND. The IDF says he was responsible for “developing advanced technologies and weapons for the regime” and advanced “projects for years in the fields of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.”

Reza Mozafari-Nia, a former chairman of SPND. The IDF says he “advanced efforts to develop nuclear weapons.”