Israeli forces launched a preemptive strike late last week that reportedly claimed the life of Major General Hossein Salami, commander‑in‑chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with several other high‑ranking figures. The operation, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, targeted multiple Iranian military and nuclear installations including the Natanz enrichment facility and the IRGC headquarters.
The assault unfolded on Thursday, June 12. Later reports stated that Salami died on the night of June 13, 2025. Officials confirmed that nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi were killed, while other accounts suggested that Iranian Armed Forces Deputy Commander General Gholamali Rashid and military chief Mohammad Bagheri might have suffered casualties. The reported killings marked a notable event in the Israel‑Iran conflict.
The strike formed part of a broader aerial campaign intended to undermine Iran’s nuclear weaponization program and its ballistic missile arsenal. “We have begun this operation because the time has come, we are at the point of no return,” said Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, in a televised address. “Today, our strong and brave soldiers and our people unite to defend ourselves from those who seek our destruction, and in defending ourselves, we defend many others and push back the murderous tyranny,” he added.
Salami, who joined the IRGC in 1980 during the Iran‑Iraq War, rose through the ranks before Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed him commander‑in‑chief in 2019. Known for his harsh rhetoric toward the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, he played a central role in projecting Tehran’s military influence in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. In the days preceding the assault, he warned, “Any Israeli attack will provoke a harsher and more painful response than anything the region has ever known.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strike’s preemptive nature. “Following the State of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,” said Katz. In preparation for potential retaliation, Israel closed its airspace. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved,” said Rubio.
The operation struck multiple strategic targets. The aerial campaign hit not only nuclear sites but also military assets linked to Iran’s missile program. Israeli officials described the action as essential for national self‑defense, and the elimination of Salami and other senior figures dealt a blow to Iran’s power hierarchy.
The operation occurred at a critical juncture in a longstanding conflict. Iran’s IRGC, which controlled the nation’s ballistic missile capabilities and was designated a terrorist entity internationally, had assumed an increasing role in regional proxy warfare. With his death, Tehran lost one of its military strategists, as Salami played a role in shaping Iran’s asymmetric warfare doctrine and expanding its network of terror proxies throughout the Middle East.
The strikes also affected civilian areas. Explosions rocked parts of Tehran, and reports indicated that residential structures sustained damage while civilians were injured. Iranian authorities had not issued an official statement on the full extent of the damage, and the operation thrust the region into heightened alert.
Originally published on HNGN
