Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear plant kill 3 top military leaders, scientists

Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, and a former national security chief have all been eliminated in Israel’s unprecedented Operation Rising Lion.

Their deaths have sent shockwaves through the nation’s military establishment and could seriously hamper the Islamic Republic’s ability to respond to Israel’s attacks, CNN reports.

Also, authorities confirmed the deaths of several nuclear scientists.

Below are the top military leaders killed by the Israeli strikes.

Major General Hossein Salami

As the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, was one of the most powerful men in Iran, overseeing its most potent military arm and reporting directly to its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Born in 1960, according to a US sanctions docket, Salami had headed the secretive and IRGC since 2019.

The position saw him helming one of the most powerful tools wielded by the Iranian state, which has been instrumental in crushing dissent at home and projecting Iran’s power abroad.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri

Since 2016 Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, which IISS estimated could call on more than 500,000 active personnel.

The General Staff is “the most senior military body in Iran, which implements policy and monitors and coordinates activities within the armed forces”, according to a US Treasury document laying out sanctions against Bagheri in 2019.

Bagheri was sanctioned along with nine others close to Ayatollah Khamenei “who have for decades oppressed the Iranian people, exported terrorism, and advanced destabilizing policies around the world,” the document said.

Ali Shamkhani

Ali Shamkhani was a close aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and represented Tehran at talks which sealed a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic ties with foe Saudi Arabia.

Shamkhani served as the country’s top national security official for a decade from 2013, and before that served in a number of important roles, including in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the ministry of defense.

He had been a rising star of Iranian diplomacy, well known in foreign-policy circles in Washington and Europe.

Shamkhani represented Iran in China-brokered talks with Saudi officials that led to the two countries agreeing to re-establish diplomatic ties after years of hostility.

Meanwhile, Israeli source told CNN that Israel undertook “deception operation” to surprise Iran

Israel carried out what it called a “deception operation” in the days leading up to its unprecedented strikes aimed at making the Iranian leadership and the Israeli public believe there would be no attack, an Israeli official said.

The official said the operation included the “deception” of media and political commentators and “thus managed to surprise Iran.”

They said the plan had only “a few secret partners” and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had distributed announcements and briefings aimed at influencing discourse in Iran and Israel.

Despite the apparent campaign, US intelligence warnings that an Israeli strike was imminent began to be reported by US media on Thursday, following comments from President Donald Trump and a US State Department decision to move non-essential staff from embassies in Iraq and around the Middle East.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook