TEHRAN: Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, was martyred in an Israeli airstrike, the Iranian government has officially confirmed his martyrdom.
General Bagheri served as the Chief of Staff, overseeing Iran’s conventional military and maintaining close coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israeli airstrike was the most extensive and intense aerial assault ever carried out on Tehran, resulting in the martyrdom of several senior IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists.
In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader appointed Amir Habibullah as the acting head of the armed forces and named General Ahmad Vahidi as the new commander of the IRGC.
Among the other martyrs were IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami and Major General Ghulam Ali Rashid, head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters.
Renowned nuclear scientist and President of Islamic Azad University, Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, as well as former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi, were also killed in the strike.
According to Iranian media, the airstrikes targeted not only military installations but also residential buildings, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and injuries.
Due to the deteriorating security situation, all flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport have been suspended.
Iranian leadership has declared a period of national mourning, and details regarding the funerals of the martyrs are expected to be announced soon.
The incident comes as Iran and the United States were preparing to resume nuclear negotiations, and it is feared that this attack may have a significant negative impact on those diplomatic efforts.
Read also: Iranian Supreme Leader warns Israel of severe retaliation following airstrikes
