TEHRAN – In a swift response to the loss of two of its top military officials, Iran has announced the appointment of new commanders for its Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has temporarily appointed General Habibollah Sayyari as the acting Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. General Sayyari previously served as the Deputy Coordinator of the Armed Forces and has had a long-standing role within Iran’s military leadership.
In a separate decree, the Supreme Leader also named General Ahmad Vahidi as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC. Vahidi, a seasoned military figure, has held various high-ranking positions within Iran’s defense establishment, including Minister of Defense.
The appointments follow the martyrdom of General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the IRGC, who were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike. The targeted attack struck key military installations in Tehran as per reports of the international media.
Earlier, Israel launched strikes against Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites and military commanders.
Several top Iranian military and nuclear officials were killed in what is being described at one of the most significant escalation between the two countries to date.
According to The New York Times, Israel targeted at least six military bases around Tehran, including the sensitive Parchin facility.
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel has declared a state of emergency taking anticipatory measures against retaliatory military action by Iran.
Iranian state television reported that Hossein Salami, the chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps, had been killed in attack, adding that several children and women are also among the victims.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a message after attacking Iran.
“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” he added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who remained safe in the attack, said in a statement that Israel had “unleashed its wicked and bloody” hand in a crime against Iran and vowed to give a befitting response to it.
Meanwhile, the United States said it had no involvement in the operation, which can lead to an escalation in the Middle East.
Iranian state media reported that at least two nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were also assassinated in Israeli strikes in Tehran.
On the other hand, Iran has closed its airspace for all flights until further notice.
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