June 13, 2025 | DefTech Times | Global War Desk
In an operation that experts are already calling one of the most significant covert military decapitations of the 21st century, Israel has reportedly assassinated three of Iran’s most powerful security and defense officials in a precision strike that rattled Tehran’s military core.
According to Iranian state television IRINN and multiple other regime-linked outlets, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Hossein Salami, and Ali Shamkhani were all confirmed dead in the early hours of Friday following a series of targeted Israeli airstrikes that hit high-security compounds and command bunkers across Iran.
The loss of these three towering figures in Iran’s war cabinet represents a catastrophic blow to the country’s defense architecture and may change the strategic balance in the region overnight.
💀 Who Were the Targets?
🔴 Major General Mohammad Bagheri
Bagheri was Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, serving as the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, a position equivalent to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Bagheri oversaw strategic planning across all Iranian military branches and was instrumental in modernizing Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs. Known as the architect of Iran’s multi-front “Axis of Resistance” doctrine, Bagheri maintained operational links with Hezbollah, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq and Syria.
His death leaves a massive void in command coordination, especially as Iran continues to mobilize across multiple borders in response to regional conflicts.
🔴 Hossein Salami
He led the IRGC’s military and covert operations worldwide, including Iran’s cyber warfare programs, ballistic missile forces, and elite Quds Force activities beyond Iran’s borders.
Salami was a key voice behind Iran’s hardline posturing and was believed to be the key military figure pushing for escalated confrontation with Israel following the April 2024 strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.
His death in the Israeli strike is a stunning development. No IRGC chief has ever been killed by a foreign power before.
🔴 Ali Shamkhani
Though officially retired from his position as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in 2023, Shamkhani remained one of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s most trusted military advisors.
He played a pivotal role in diplomatic backchannels, particularly in Iran’s nuclear negotiations and normalization discussions with Saudi Arabia, China, and Europe. Known for his moderate image abroad but hawkish influence inside Iran, Shamkhani was also deeply embedded in the country’s military decision-making process.
His assassination is seen as a symbolic message from Israel: no one, not even figures once seen as peacemakers, is beyond reach.
Israel’s Defense Forces confirm that 200 Jets were used to eliminate these three top leaders of IRGC.
We can now confirm that the Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets.
These are three ruthless mass murderers with…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 13, 2025
🎯 Precision Execution: Details of Assassinations
While details remain fluid, preliminary assessments suggest that Israeli fighter jets and loitering munitions struck at least three secure locations simultaneously:
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A military command bunker in Tehran
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An IRGC operations facility near Isfahan
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A private villa compound reportedly frequented by Shamkhani in northern Tehran
Satellite imagery and open-source intelligence analyzed by international outlets showed multiple bunker-buster munitions used—signaling deep-penetration strikes aimed at hardened, underground targets.
Western analysts speculate the operation was coordinated with cyber warfare efforts that jammed Iran’s early warning systems, allowing Israeli aircraft to penetrate Iranian airspace undetected.
