Who are the Iranian officials, scientists killed in Israel's strikes on Iran?
Iran has confirmed that key military leaders were killed in the overnight strikes by Israel, but has yet to release a full death toll.
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Iranian media reported that at least 16 people were killed in the Israeli strikes [Getty]
Israel's surprise wave of attacks on Iran early on Friday saw nuclear facilities, residential neighbourhoods, and military sites targeted, with Tehran confirming several deaths and injuries.
Among those killed were senior leaders of Iran's military, including the army's chief of staff, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the former head of Iran's atomic energy agency and several nuclear scientists.
The New Arab takes a look at what we know so far about the casualties following Israel's attack on Iran.
Army chief of staff Mohammed Bagheri
The killing of Major General Mohammad Bagheri was announced by Iranian television on Friday — the highest-ranking official to be killed in the latest round of Israeli strikes on Iran. Born Mohammad Hossein Afshordi in 1959 in Tehran, Bagheri is the brother of the first head of intelligence and operations of the IRGC who was killed in the Iran-Iraq war.
Bagheri was charged with heading the IRGC Ground Forces Intelligence and the Karbala and Khatam al-Anbia headquarters in the early 1980s — posts he retained until the end of the Iraq-Iran war.
In 2008, Bagheri was promoted to major general by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In June 2016, Khamenei appointed him as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, succeeding Major General Hassan Firouzabadi.
IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami
IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami another senior military official who was taken out by Israel in the overnight strikes.
Born in 1959 in Golpayegan, Isfahan Province, Salami joined the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War. Salami held various combat positions within the 25th Karbala Division, the 14th Imam Hossein Division, and the Navy Headquarters. He also held command and combat positions in Iran's Kurdistan province in the 1980s.
From 1997 to 2005, he served as the deputy chief of operations of the IRGC's Joint Staff, and headed the IRGC Air Force from 2005 to 2009 and served as IRGC deputy commander from 2009 to 2019.
His final role, as commander-in-chief of the Republican Guards, began in 2019,
In his last public statement on Thursday, Salami stressed that Iran's "next response to the Zionists will not only be one of sincere promises, but will be harsher, more destructive, and more devastating".
Major General Gholamali Rashid
Major General Gholamali Rashid, commander of the IRGC's Khatam al-Anbia headquarters, was killed alongside his son early on Friday.
Born in 1953 in Dezful, Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, Rashid was one of the Revolutionary Guards' early recruits after its formation.
In November 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nine people close to Supreme Leader Khamenei, including Rashid, accusing them of involvement in what it described as "the regime's malign behavior".
In its statement, the US government described the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, which Rashid headed, as "Iran's most important military command center".
IRGC Air Force chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh
Iranian television reported the assassination of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Air Force, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, later on Friday morning.
Hajizadeh has been described as Iran's drone mastermind, with Tehran increasingly using the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in recent conflicts, including in its last retaliation against Israel.
Fereydoun Abbasi
Parliamentarian and Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani was among the nuclear scientists assassinated by Israel. Abbasi was born in 1958 in Kazerun, Fars Province, and was among the students who revolted against the Shah's regime, and shortly after joined the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Since 1993, he has been a member of the Faculty of Physics at Imam Hossein University, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and later served as its president. He was also a member of the Central Council of the Iranian Nuclear Society.
In November 2010, Abbasi and his wife were the targets of an assassination attempt in Tehran's Daneshjoo Square. The pair were injured, but escaped. On the same day, fellow nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari was assassinated in separate attack.
Abbasi was appointed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2011 as Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
At the time of his killing, Abbasi represented Kazerun and Kouh-e Chonar in Iran's parliament.
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi
Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi was also among the six nuclear scientists killed by Israel.
Tehranji held several key positions in Iranian universities, including at the Shahid Beheshti University, the Payame Noor Open University, the Defence Industries Education and Research Institute, and the Islamic Azad University.
Nuclear scientists
The other nuclear scientists killed by Israel's strikes were Abdolhamid Minouchehr, head of the Faculty of Nuclear Engineering at Beheshti University; Dr. Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a member of the faculty's scientific staff; Amir Hossein Faghihi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and head of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences; and nuclear scientist Motalibizadeh.
Iran has yet to announce the total number of dead and injured in the Israeli attacks, which also targeted civilian residential blocks.
At least six civilians, including women and children, were among those killed.
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