Tehran under continuous fire: top military, nuclear leaders dead
Israeli sources claim that at least 25 senior Iranian nuclear scientists were targeted in assassination attempts during the initial hours of the campaign
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a sweeping series of coordinated airstrikes across Iran in recent days, hitting key military, nuclear, and leadership targets deep inside Iranian territory.
The strikes — part of Israel's newly declared "Rising Lion" operation — have killed or injured numerous top Iranian officials and scientists while triggering a wave of retaliatory attacks against Israeli territory.
Targets Hit Across Iran
The Israeli strikes began early Friday with waves of airstrikes targeting Iranian Air Force bases in Hamadan and Tabriz, both in western Iran. The IDF confirmed that the Tabriz base was "destroyed" while dozens of Iranian air-defense systems, UAV hangars, and missile launchers were also struck.
As the offensive continued, Israeli fighter jets penetrated deeper into Iranian airspace. Explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, with heavy damage reported near Mehrabad International Airport and within highly secured residential compounds that house top Iranian leadership, including the presidential palace and the home of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian air-defense systems were activated repeatedly throughout the night as the country scrambled to intercept Israeli aircraft. Despite their efforts, the precision strikes reached some of the most sensitive sites in the Islamic Republic.
Senior Iranian Leadership Targeted
Among those killed in the strikes are several of Iran's most senior military and nuclear officials. According to both Israeli sources and Iranian media:
Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was confirmed dead.
Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s military chief of staff, was also killed, despite initial denials.
Top nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, both involved in Iran’s nuclear weapons program, were killed in targeted strikes.
Ali Shamkhani, top advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei and a longtime fixture in Iran’s national security establishment, was critically injured in a strike on his residence and remains hospitalized in Tehran.
In total, Israeli sources claim that at least 25 senior Iranian nuclear scientists were targeted in assassination attempts during the initial hours of the campaign.
The strikes also damaged residential buildings inside Tehran, including compounds that housed senior commanders. Mossad operatives reportedly carried out parallel sabotage missions inside Iran, targeting air-defense and missile infrastructure as part of the broader offensive.