Israel has claimed that a “majority” or Iran’s senior military leaders were killed in the opening wave of strikes during the joint US-Israel attacks on Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had killed 40 senior commanders, calling it a “historic strike” that was possible because of military intelligence. Most of the commanders were killed in simultaneous strikes on two separate sites, the IDF said, without providing the names of all those killed.
The IDF said the list includes Iranian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdoorahim Mousavi. Iranian state media said Mousavi and other senior Iranian security leaders were among those killed in the US-Israeli strikes.
The Israeli military also said it had dismantled Iran’s aerial defense systems in western and central Iran as the country’s Air Force establishes air superiority over Tehran.
“The Israeli Air Force continues to operate extensively in both defense and offense, with the goal of removing threats posed to the State of Israel,” the IDF said.