Iranian officials targeted in recent US-Israeli military strikes identified

US and Israeli Attack Claims High-Ranking Iranian Officials

A coordinated attack by the United States and Israel on Saturday has resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking officials in Iran, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader. The Iranian state-run news agency IRNA confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday morning.

Khamenei’s family members, including his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, were also among those killed in the attack. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian released a statement describing the event as “a tragic declaration of war against Muslims”.

Other senior officials confirmed to have been killed include General Esmail Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Defence Council, and Brigadier General Mohsen Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces. Mousavi had previously served as commander-in-chief of the Iranian army from 2017 to 2025.

General Hassan Nasirzadeh, who recently held the position of minister of defence in Pezeshkian’s government, was also among those killed. He had previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces and commander of the Iranian air force from 2018 to 2021.

Details surrounding the attack are still emerging, but reports indicate that several other senior officials were targeted in the coordinated strike. The US Department of State had previously sanctioned Mousavi for committing human rights abuses in Iran.

Source: Al Jazeera