Israel on Friday claimed it had killed General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Irans’ Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force ((IRGC ASF) and the chief of the country’s ballistic missile programme, in a targeted strike on an underground command centre.
The operation, part of a broader Israeli offensive against Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, has killed at least six key officials and influencers of Iran’s defence, reports AP.
The Israeli military said fighter jets struck a subterranean facility where senior officials of the IRGC were allegedly planning an attack. The strike, Israel claimed, killed Hajizadeh along with two other high-ranking commanders, reports Al Jazeera.
“Hajizadeh publicly declared his commitment to Israel’s destruction at various events in recent years and played a central role in developing the Iranian regime’s plan for Israel’s destruction,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
However, no photographic or forensic evidence was found by Times of Bangladesh to corroborate the claim.
General Hajizadeh, known for his hardline stance and influential role within Iran’s military establishment, oversaw the development of the country’s missile arsenal, including precision-guided and long-range systems. His death would represent a significant blow to Iran’s military command structure and its strategic capabilities.
On the same day, Israeli warplanes reportedly targeted nuclear facilities, missile bases, and air defence sites across Iran. Among the casualties, Israel claims, were three senior Iranian security chiefs and several nuclear scientists, dealing what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a decisive blow” to Tehran’s command and control infrastructure.
Netanyahu defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “This was a last resort,” he said in a televised address, reports the New York Times.
In a national address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that the country’s response would be legitimate and forceful. He also urged Iranians to trust their leadership and stand with them.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, whose administration had been previously pursuing negotiations with Iran, weighed in with a stark warning. “Tehran must make a deal,” he said, adding that future Israeli strikes could be “even more brutal.”