Israel claims airstrike killed Iran’s wartime chief Ali Shadmani in Tehran
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Tel Aviv: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced that it had killed Major General Ali Shadmani, Iran’s wartime Chief of Staff and a close aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a targeted airstrike conducted overnight in central Tehran.
According to the IDF, the strike was carried out based on precise intelligence and a “sudden opportunity” identified by its Intelligence Branch. Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a command centre believed to be manned by Shadmani, who held key positions within Iran’s military structure.
Shadmani, described by the IDF as “the most senior military commander and the man closest to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei,” served as Chief of War Staff and Commander of the Armed Forces Emergency Command. He previously held roles including deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command and head of the Operations Department of the Armed Forces General Staff.
His death marks the second major blow to Iran’s top military leadership in recent weeks. Shadmani had recently replaced General Gholam Ali Rashid, who was killed on Friday during Israel’s launch of ‘Operation Rising Lion’—a targeted offensive against what Israel views as the mounting Iranian military threat, including nuclear ambitions.
The IDF said Shadmani played a pivotal role in planning Iranian offensives against Israel and oversaw Iranian fire plans. His assassination, they claimed, delivers a significant setback to Iran’s military command structure.
The Israeli military further reported that, earlier in the day, its air force conducted additional strikes, destroying a range of Iranian missile infrastructure. The operations targeted storage facilities and launchers for both surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, as well as UAV storage sites in western Iran.
Israel stated that these attacks were part of “several waves” of airstrikes meant to dismantle Iran’s military capacity. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ, formerly commanded by Shadmani, was identified as a key institution responsible for combat management and approving fire missions against Israel.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has now entered its fifth consecutive day. Iran reportedly launched a barrage of missiles targeting northern Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Haifa and numerous other cities, including areas in the occupied Golan Heights.
Tensions between the two nations continue to escalate, with no signs of de-escalation on either side.
With IANS inputs
