Israel strikes deep: Top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists assassinated

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israel’s strikes on Iran extended far beyond targeting nuclear facilities under the pretext of dismantling Tehran’s atomic program. 

The attacks also focused on the top tier of Iran’s military leadership, as well as key figures in its nuclear science community.

Within just hours of the initial strikes, four senior Iranian military commanders and several high-ranking officers were reportedly killed, along with six nuclear scientists. 

Reuters cited two Iranian sources who confirmed that at least 20 senior commanders were killed in the attacks.

Who were the targeted generals?

Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s highest-ranking military official, served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is sanctioned for his role in Iran’s nuclear and military programs. Israel accuses him of being a key architect of Iran’s regional military strategy.

Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, plays a major role in Iran’s emergency military response planning.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, was reportedly killed alongside senior commanders in an underground meeting. Among them were the heads of the IRGC’s drone command and air defense systems

Israel’s strikes also targeted prominent Iranian nuclear scientists:

Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, a nuclear physicist, engineer, and university professor who held the rank of brigadier general in the IRGC. He played a central role in Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, regarded as one of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists.

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a professor of nuclear engineering.

The assassination of high-ranking military commanders, aerospace leaders, and nuclear scientists is reminiscent of Israel’s past operations in Lebanon. 

There, it systematically targeted Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including commanders of the Radwan Force. 

That campaign culminated in the assassinations of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior official Hashem Safieddine within days of each other.

At the time, the "Pager" operation marked a turning point in the conflict with Hezbollah. 

Today, the Mossad-led operation—years in the making from inside Iran—appears to mark a similar inflection point in Israel’s ongoing confrontation with the Islamic Republic.