In the early hours of June 13 (local time), a surprise preemptive strike by Israel across Iran, including the capital Tehran, resulted in the deaths of both top leaders of the Iranian military.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement on June 13 (local time) that Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, was killed in the airstrike.
Subsequently, Iran's state-run IRIB reported that Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, was also confirmed dead. Previously, the state-run IRNA news agency had reported that Bagheri was alive in the operations room.
Iranian nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Tehranchi, were also confirmed to have been killed in the airstrike.
The Israeli military launched a large-scale airstrike in the early morning, targeting the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran, as well as military commanders and scientists. The IRGC declared, "We are prepared to respond firmly and harshly to the aggression of the Zionist enemy," announcing plans for retaliation. The IRGC also stated, "This crime was committed with the knowledge of the evil rulers of the White House and the American terrorist regime," suggesting that the United States could also be subject to retaliation.
Iranian state TV reported that fires and smoke were observed at major facilities, including the IRGC headquarters in eastern Tehran, following Israel's airstrike. It also announced that although Israel struck the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran, there were no signs of nuclear contamination at the site after the airstrike.
Civilian casualties were also reported. According to IRNA, at least 12 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike. Iran temporarily suspended operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport and closed the airspace over Tehran for a period of time.
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