Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes

Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes
Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (West Asia News Agency via REUTERS/File photo)
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Updated 14 June 2025
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Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes

Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes
  • Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards warn Israel of “harsh punishment” for its attacks
  • Dead scientists identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

RIYADH: Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed on Friday that several military commanders and scientists were “martyred” in Israeli strikes on Tehran.

In a statement carried on state television, Khamenei warned that Israel will not go unpunished for its attacks.

“We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed,” Khamenei said in a recorded message. 

“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”

Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in Israeli attacks.

Among those killed were four of Iran’s top military leaders. 

State television and local media identified them as General Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; Major General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, or IRGC; Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters; and Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC of the IRGC Aerospace Force. 

Iran’s Nournews reported that Ali Shamkhani, a rear admiral who serves as adviser to Khamenei, was “critically injured.”

Local media confirmed that six scientists working on Iran’s nuclear program were killed, four of them identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranch, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, and Amirhossein Feqhi.

New appointments

Immediately after the strike, Khomenei appointed Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as the new chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Mousavi, the army commander since 2017, replaced Bagheri

Replacing Mousavi as army chief was Brigadier General Amir Hatami, who was promoted to the rank of major general. 

Major General Mohammad Pakpour was appointed as the new IRGC chief, replacing “martyred” Salami.

Appointed as new commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, replacing Ali Rashid, was Brigadier General Ali Shadmani. He was promoted to the rank of major general.

The Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters is a subdivision of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces that is tasked with the layout and arrangement of operations involving various Iranian military units.

As General Pakpour assumed his new post, he warned the Israeli regime to brace for a painful fate.

“The criminal and illegitimate Zionist regime will suffer a bitter and painful fate with huge and destructive consequences,” Iran’s Tasnim News agency quoted Pakpour as saying in a letter to Supreme Leader Khamenei.

With the help of God, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime, he wrote.

Below is a list of the commanders and scientists killed:

Mohammad Bagheri

A former IRGC commander, Major General Bagheri was chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces from 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

Hossein Salami

Salami was commander-in-chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh

Hajizadeh was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force. Israel has identified him as the central figure responsible for directing aerial attacks against its territory. In 2020, Hajizadeh took responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which occurred shortly after Iran launched missile strikes on US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani.

Gholamali Rashid

Major General Rashid was head of the IRGC’s Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani

Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. A hardliner, Abbasi was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist, was head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University.

Amirhossein Feqhi

Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University.
 


Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy
Updated 58 min 52 sec ago
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Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy
  • Bezalel Smotrich’s comments come a day before Israeli leader is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump

JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a “grave mistake” that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel’s military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his “next steps” but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.

Smotrich’s comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

.”.. the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,” Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as “logistical support for the enemy during wartime.”

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

Pressure

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.

The war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, and much of the territory lies in ruins.


UKMTO reports small vessels opened fire on another vessel off Yemen’s Hodeidah

UKMTO reports small vessels opened fire on another vessel off Yemen’s Hodeidah
Updated 06 July 2025
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UKMTO reports small vessels opened fire on another vessel off Yemen’s Hodeidah

UKMTO reports small vessels opened fire on another vessel off Yemen’s Hodeidah

CAIRO: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Sunday a vessel had been engaged by multiple small vessels which have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades 51 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah.
Armed security team have returned fire and situation is ongoing, UKMTO said in an advisory note.


GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says
Updated 06 July 2025
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GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

OSAKA: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said during his visit to Expo 2025 Osaka that the GCC countries’ pavilions showcase their cultural heritage and national visions. 

Albudaiwi, who also visited the Japan Pavilion alongside the GCC pavilions on Saturday, added that they showcase the countries’ influence in global events and enhance international cooperation, according to the Saudi Press Agency. 

The secretary-general also shared that the GCC’s participation highlights its members’ strategic planning, stressing the importance of creating strong relations with nations worldwide.

The GCC members’ pavilions offer experiences that combine heritage with technology, reflecting their commitment to their identity while embracing innovation.

Various countries from the GCC are participating in Expo 2025 Osaka, such as Saudi Arabia, which has the second-largest pavilion after Japan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. 

Expo 2025 Osaka began in April and will conclude in October. 


Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration

Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration
Updated 06 July 2025
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Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration

Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration
  • The event on Sunday comes in the wake of unprecedented regional escalation
  • Although the occasion is religious in nature, some participants chanted against Israel and the United States as they processed through the streets of Karbala

BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of pilgrims arrived in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday ahead of Ashoura, the holy day on which Shiite Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
The annual pilgrimage is one of the largest religious events in the Shiite world.
Ashoura holds deep religious and historical significance for Shiites, marking the 680 AD Battle of Karbala, in which Imam Hussein, along with his family and companions, was killed after he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam. For Shiites, the commemoration has come to symbolize resistance against tyranny and injustice.
The event on Sunday comes in the wake of unprecedented regional escalation, following the recent Israel-Iran war, as well as other dramatic developments including the fall of Syria’s former president Bashar Assad — an ally of Iran — in December and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, longtime leader of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
The streets of Karbala were carpeted in red and lined with stations offering food and water to the pilgrims, who came from Iraq’s provinces and from abroad, including large numbers from Iran, the Gulf states, Lebanon and Pakistan.
Black-clad men, women, and children gathered around the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas, performing traditional mourning rituals including chest-beating, elegies, and lamentations.
Although the occasion is religious in nature, some participants chanted against Israel and the United States as they processed through the streets of Karbala. Many banners also expressed support for the ” Axis of Resistance,” a cluster of Iran-backed factions and governments.
Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari arrived in Karbala on Saturday and held an extended meeting at the operations command headquarters with senior security and intelligence officials and representatives of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite militias that are officially under the command of the Iraqi military.
The interior ministry said in a statement that the session focused on tightening control over the city’s entrances and intensifying intelligence and field operations to safeguard the massive crowds.
Members of the Islamic State and other groups following an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam, who consider Shiites to be apostates, have carried out attacks during Ashoura gatherings in Iraq and other countries in the region over the years.
“The resistance’s weapons are what protected Iraq, and they will not be surrendered— no matter how great the internal or external pressure,” Abu Ali Al-Askari, a spokesperson for Iraq’s powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, which is closely aligned with Iran, said during the commemorations.
His remarks came amid renewed national debate over the future role of armed factions in Iraq, especially in the wake of the recent regional escalations.
The government of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said in a statement Saturday that a drone had crashed overnight in an open area near the regional capital of Irbil and that “some groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces carry out such attacks with the aim of creating chaos.”
It called for the federal government in Baghdad “to put an end to these acts of sabotage and take the necessary legal action against their perpetrators.”
The Iraqi army responded in a statement that the accusation against the PMF was “unacceptable” and “issued in the absence of evidence” and said it could “provide hostile parties with justifications to undermine Iraq’s stability.”


Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 33 Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 33 Palestinians
Updated 06 July 2025
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Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 33 Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 33 Palestinians
  • Israel’s military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day
  • The strikes occur as efforts to reach a ceasefire deal appeared to gain momentum

DEIR Al-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials said on Sunday, as Israel’s military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day.

The fighting came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to fly to Washington for talks at the White House aimed at pushing forward ceasefire efforts.

President Donald Trump has floated a plan for an initial 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an increase in humanitarian supplies allowed into Gaza. The proposed truce calls for talks on ending the 21-month war altogether.

Israel strikes dozens of targets

Twenty people were killed and 25 wounded after Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa Hospital that services the area.

In southern Gaza, 13 Palestinians were killed by strikes in Muwasi, an area on Gaza’s Mediterranean where many displaced people live in tents, officials at Nasser Hospital in neaby Khan Younis said. Five of the dead belonged to the same family according to the hospital.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the individual strikes, but said it struck 130 targets across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.

It said the strikes targeted Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that they killed a number of militants in northern Gaza.

The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

Ceasefire deal being discussed

The strikes occur as efforts to reach a ceasefire deal appeared to gain momentum. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s office said his government will send a negotiating team to talks in Qatar on Sunday to conduct indirect talks, adding that Hamas was seeking “unacceptable” changes to the proposal.

The planned talks in Qatar comes ahead of Netanyahu’s planned visit on Monday to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss the deal. It is unclear if a deal will be reached ahead of Netanyahu’s White House meeting.

Hamas has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war’s end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group’s destruction.