Iran’s Nournews reported that 78 people were killed and 329 wounded in Israeli strikes on residential areas in Tehran early this morning.
Earlier, it was reported that at least 20 high-ranking Iranian commanders were killed in Israeli strikes on Iran.
Among the dead was Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ missile program. Also killed, as previously reported, was the top commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, as well as the chief of staff of the armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri.
Iranian state media reported that one of the closest advisers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also wounded in the attacks. According to an AFP report, Iranian state television announced: “Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the Supreme Leader… was injured in today’s attack by the Zionist regime.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that most of the Revolutionary Guards’ air force command was eliminated during the Israeli strikes. They were meeting in an underground command center when they were hit, he said.
Soon after the news broke, Iranian leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei appointed new military commanders.
Following the death of General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Khamenei appointed General Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi as the new Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
General Mohammad Pakpour was appointed as the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), succeeding General Hossein Salami, who was also killed in attacks that Tehran described as “terrorist acts by the Zionist regime.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also promoted Ali Shademani to the rank of brigadier general and appointed him commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Central Command, replacing General Gholam Ali Rashid, who was also killed in the Israeli strikes.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier today that the response to Israeli attacks will be legitimate and strong.
Iran has never started a war in the past 200 years, they say, adding that they will not hesitate to defend themselves.
“Iran will write the end of this story,” it said.
