Iran’s Defence Minister and IRGC Commander Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Tehran, Reuters reports

Photo: Facebook /  Fossbytes Iranian state leadership was thrown into crisis after airstrikes attributed to Israel reportedly killed two of...

Photo: Facebook / Fossbytes

Iranian state leadership was thrown into crisis after airstrikes attributed to Israel reportedly killed two of the country’s most senior military figures in Tehran, according to sources cited by Reuters. The strikes mark one of the most significant escalations between the two regional adversaries in years.

Three sources told Reuters that Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed during coordinated Israeli airstrikes targeting Tehran. Israeli officials said the operation hit three locations simultaneously, each hosting gatherings of senior Iranian leadership.

An Israeli official described those targeted as individuals “essential to the management of the campaign and the regime’s governance,” signaling that the strikes were intended to cripple Iran’s military command structure rather than serve as symbolic retaliation. The operation reportedly followed weeks of mounting regional tension and earlier exchanges involving missile and drone attacks.

Pakpour had taken command of the IRGC in 2025 after the death of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, who was also killed in earlier Israeli operations. Nasirzadeh, meanwhile, previously served as Iran’s Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and was considered a central figure in coordinating Iran’s air and missile capabilities.

Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed the deaths. However, following the reports, the IRGC issued a statement declaring US military bases across the region “legitimate targets.” Shortly afterward, Iranian forces launched missiles toward Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, raising fears of a broader regional confrontation.

The reported killings, if confirmed, would represent one of the most consequential blows to Iran’s military leadership in decades and signal a sharp intensification of the Israel-Iran conflict, with potential ripple effects across the Middle East and beyond.