Israel announced on Tuesday (June 17) that it had killed Iran’s wartime Chief of Staff and top military leader, Major General Ali Shadmani, in a precise airstrike at a military command center in Tehran.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Major Effie Defrin stated that Shadmani was targeted and killed by Israeli forces at Iran’s highest military command center. This was the second time in five days that Israel had taken out Iran’s top military commander.
In a post on social media platform X, the Israeli military wrote, “This is the second time in five days that Israel has eliminated Iran’s wartime Chief of Staff – the regime’s top military official.”
“Major General Shadmani was one of Iran’s top military officials and one of the closest military advisors to the Supreme Leader Khamenei. He was killed in a precision airstrike carried out by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in central Tehran based on intelligence,” the statement read.
According to reports from The Jerusalem Post, Shadmani led Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country’s military emergency command center for only about four days. His predecessor, Major General Gholam Rashid, was killed in Israel’s first round of airstrikes on Iran on June 13.
Reports indicated that Shadmani was responsible for commanding military operations and approving Iran’s attack plans.
NBC News reported that Israel seized a “sudden opportunity” to take out this commander in the “heart of Tehran.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei had previously announced on his English X account the appointment of Shadmani to replace Rashid in commanding the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters.
Israel launched the “Operation Rising Lion” last Friday, targeting Iran’s key military and nuclear facilities with airstrikes. So far, Israel has successfully targeted and killed multiple high-ranking officials involved in Iran’s military and nuclear proliferation programs, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami.
Defrin vowed in a statement that Israel would “relentlessly pursue its enemies through advanced intelligence capabilities, air superiority, and sophisticated operational plans.”
(This article referenced reports from Fox News)