 "File: Chief of the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri addresses a military parade commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran War, in front of the shrine of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, September 22, 2022. AP")
The Chief of Staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was killed in the Israeli strike on Thursday, Iran’s state TV IRINN reported.
The news came shortly after the Iranian state media confirmed that General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in Israel’s overnight strikes.
It is pertinent to note that Bagheri was Iran’s highest-ranking military officer and is the second senior figure known to have been killed by Israel’s unprecedented attack on the country’s capital, nuclear and military facilities.
IRGC confirms death of General Salami
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has confirmed the death of Hossein Salami, who was seen as one of the country’s most powerful and influential military commanders in Israel.
“Without a doubt, Major General Salami was one of the most distinguished commanders of the Islamic Revolution — present on all fronts of scientific, cultural, security, and military jihad,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday.
“In all arenas, he stood at the frontlines with a spirit of sincerity, wisdom, and devotion to the Supreme Leader, defending the ideals of the Revolution and the Iranian people,” the statement added. The IRGC maintained that its command and other branches of the military are “fully prepared to deliver a decisive and harsh response.”
It is pertinent to note that the IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution in 1979.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe unit includes ground forces, naval and air forces, along with intelligence and special forces. The IRGC have been at the forefront of Iran’s military operations in the region. Their primary role is internal security, but experts say that the group, considered Iran’s dominant military force, assists Iran’s regular army with external defence and is the key liaison with Iran-loyal proxy militias in the region.