IDF Says Airstrike Killed Seven Iranian Officials in Tehran

by: Aden Abdi | Sunday, 1 March 2026 00:30 EAT

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Brig Gen. Effie Defrin, Spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces.

Tel Aviv (Diplomat.so) - The Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday that coordinated airstrikes in Tehran killed seven senior members of Iran's defense and security leadership, including advisers and commanders linked to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities had not confirmed the deaths at the time of publication, and independent verification was not immediately available.

According to an IDF statement, fighter jets from the Israeli Air Force struck two locations identified by Israeli military intelligence as sites where high-ranking Iranian officials had gathered. Israeli officials described the operation, which they referred to as "Operation Roaring Lion,” as a precision strike targeting what they called the Iranian regime’s "security command echelon.”

Israel said those killed included Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a senior security adviser to Khamenei; Mohammad Pakpour, identified by Israel as Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and Saleh Asadi, described as head of intelligence for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters emergency command.

The IDF also named Mohammad Shirazi, Chief of the Military Bureau of the Supreme Leader since 1989; Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s Minister of Defense and former Air Force commander; Hossein Jabal Amelian, Chairman of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND); and Reza Mozaffari-Nia, SPND’s former chairman.

The Israeli military described the individuals as central to Iran’s strategic weapons development and regional military coordination. Israel and several Western governments have previously sanctioned SPND over alleged involvement in advanced weapons research, including nuclear-related projects—claims Tehran denies, insisting its programs are peaceful and defensive.

Security analysts contacted by Diplomat News Network cautioned that, if confirmed, the strike would represent one of the most significant direct attacks on Iran’s senior command structure in recent years, raising the risk of retaliation and further destabilization across the Middle East.