Israel eliminates Iran’s highest military commander in Tehran strike

Ali Shadmani, the wartime Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces and a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike in Tehran, the Israel Defence Forces announced on Tuesday.

“Ali Shadmani directly shaped Iran’s war plans against Israel,” an Israeli security official said. “His death is a major disruption to the Iranian command structure,” the IDF said.

Shadmani, who served as Chief of Staff of the War and headed Iran’s Emergency Command, was responsible for coordinating between the Iranian army and the Revolutionary Guards. His assassination marks the second time Israel has eliminated the top Iranian commander during its ongoing military campaign. His predecessor, Alam Ali Rashid, was killed on Friday during the opening salvo of Israeli strikes.

Iran’s “Khatem al-Anbia” Emergency Command, which Shadmani led, oversees operational planning and authorizes missile and drone strikes. Israeli officials said Shadmani’s long tenure made him uniquely dangerous.

“He wasn’t just a general—he was the architect of Iran’s attacks,” said another official. “This is a significant blow to Tehran’s warfighting capabilities.”

The strike adds to a string of senior commanders and scientists that have decapitated Iran’s leadership.

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Friday, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.

Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.