Tehran/New Delhi– Iran’s armed forces have officially confirmed the death of Major General Ali Shadmani, a top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), following an Israeli airstrike on Tehran. The strike, which took place last week, has further intensified tensions between the two adversaries amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Iranian territory.
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which Shadmani had recently taken command of, issued a statement condemning the Israeli attack as a “criminal act” and promised “severe revenge.”
Shadmani had only recently assumed the position after the death of General Gholam Ali Rashid, who was also killed in the initial wave of Israeli strikes. On June 13, Israel launched a massive aerial assault targeting Iran’s military infrastructure and senior leadership, reportedly aiming to cripple its nuclear and strategic command capabilities.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) publicly claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of Shadmani in a precision airstrike carried out on June 17. In a post on X, the IDF described Shadmani as “Iran’s senior-most military official and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s closest military advisor.”
“For the second time in five days, the IDF has eliminated Iran’s War-Time Chief of Staff,” the post stated, referring to the assassinations of both Rashid and Shadmani.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Health Ministry has released a grim update on the human toll of the ongoing conflict. Spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour confirmed that at least 627 Iranians have been killed and over 4,870 injured in Israeli airstrikes so far. The worst-hit regions include Tehran, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Lorestan, and Isfahan.
Kermanpour, in his statement on X, refrained from graphic descriptions but called on “the conscience of humanity” to take note of the suffering, particularly among children and civilians. He noted that 86.1% of those killed died on the spot, while 13.9% succumbed to injuries in hospitals.
The targeted assassinations of Iran’s military elite mark a major escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, with regional powers and the international community expressing concern over the widening war and its potential global repercussions.
