IDF claims elimination of top Iranian military chiefs in massive airstrikes

Tel Aviv: In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday claimed to have eliminated three of Iran’s top military leaders in overnight airstrikes that rocked multiple cities across the Islamic Republic.

“We can now confirm that the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets. These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them,” the IDF said in a post on X.

The statement marked a new peak in the long-simmering confrontation between Israel and Iran, triggering fears of a full-scale regional conflict.

While Iranian officials have yet to confirm the deaths of these senior commanders, Iranian state media confirmed on Friday the killing of IRGC Commander Hossein Salami in an Israeli strike.

It also reported that loud explosions were heard in Tehran and other cities during the early hours of Friday, according to IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster.

The Israeli strikes, described by officials as a “targeted military operation”, were confirmed in a televised address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the mission aimed to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

“This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,” Netanyahu declared.

Defense Minister Israel Katz described the action as a “preemptive strike”, and declared a special state of emergency across Israel to ensure national security readiness.

The military action follows mounting tension over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Earlier this week, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council had warned that any attack on its territory would trigger immediate retaliation, including strikes on Israel’s nuclear facilities, which Tehran claims to have identified through recent Intelligence operations.

IANS