Iran Revolutionary Guards chief Salami killed in Israeli attack

Israel’s attack on Iran on Friday killed the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami, local media reported.

“Major General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was martyred in the Israeli regime’s attack on the IRGC headquarters,” the local Tasnim news agency reported.

Salami first joined the Revolutionary Guards in 1980 during the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War.

As he rose through the military ranks, he became known for his strong rhetoric against the US and its allies.

Since the 2000s, he has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council and the US for his involvement in Iran’s nuclear and military programmes.

He was the head of the Revolutionary Guards in 2024 when Iran staged its first-ever direct military attack on Israel, deploying more than 300 drones and missiles.

As tensions with Israel soared in recent days, Salami said on Thursday that Iran was “fully ready for any scenarios, situations, and circumstances”.

“The enemy thinks it can fight Iran the same way it fights defenceless Palestinians who are under an Israeli siege,” he said. “We are war-tested and experienced.”

(With inputs from NDTV, BBC)