Israel says it killed Iran’s top military commander who took charge 4 days ago

Israel’s military on Tuesday claimed it had eliminated Major General Ali Shadmani, identifying him as Iran’s wartime chief of staff and the country’s most senior operational military commander at the time of his death.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shadmani was leading the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters — Iran’s military emergency command — and was effectively overseeing both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regular armed forces. He had reportedly held the position for just four days before being killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Shadmani was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise intelligence, the military said. Iran has not confirmed nor denied the claim so far.

Shadmani took over the role after his predecessor, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed last Friday in what Israel described as its opening salvo in the ongoing strikes against Iran.

Labelling him the “war chief of staff”, the IDF said Shadmani was considered the closest top military figure to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following Rashid’s death, according to the Times of Israel.

“In view of Lt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid’s martyrdom at the hands of the vile Zionist regime, and in light of Major General Ali Shadmani’s meritorious services & valuable experience, I confer the rank of Major Gen. & appoint him Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya (pbuh) Central HQ,” Khamenei wrote in his post on the social media platform X while announcing Shadmani as the new head.

The Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, under Shadmani’s command, was responsible for orchestrating Iran’s combat operations and greenlighting attack plans, according to the Israeli military.

The development came hours after world leaders at the G7 Summit in Canada issued a joint statement on the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, saying Tel Aviv has the “right to defend itself”.

“We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” the statement read.

Israel and Iran continued their military offensives against each other for the fifth straight day today, killing several civilians on both sides.

In the early hours of the morning, Iranian media reported a series of explosions in Tehran, with plumes of smoke seen rising from the city’s eastern districts. Heavy anti-aircraft fire lit up the skies as Iran’s air defences attempted to intercept what were believed to be incoming Israeli projectiles. Air defence systems were also activated in Natanz, a strategically critical site housing Iran’s key nuclear facilities, according to the Asriran news outlet.