Shamkhani is considered one of the most prominent security figures in Iran, having previously served as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and being part of Khamenei’s inner circle.

According to Iranian media, the strikes on Tehran and other cities resulted in the deaths of several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists—marking the most significant blow to Iran’s leadership in years.

Among those confirmed killed were Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a strike on the IRGC headquarters in central Tehran; General Gholam Ali Rashid, deputy commander of the Iranian army; and two prominent nuclear scientists, Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranji, in a simultaneous attack on the Ahmadi Roshan site within the Natanz nuclear facility.

Iranian state television reported that the main uranium enrichment site in Natanz was struck multiple times, though “no nuclear contamination has been detected so far.”

The attacks also extended to Tabriz in the northwest and Kermanshah in the southwest, indicating a widening scope of the military operation.

In response to the escalation, Iranian authorities closed the country’s airspace “until further notice” and activated maximum emergency protocols at critical infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted an Iranian security source saying that “Tehran is planning a painful retaliation” for the Israeli assault.

On the Israeli side, a senior official told Fox News that “our attacks against Iran are just the beginning,” suggesting further phases of escalation. Israel’s public broadcaster stated the operation aims to “undermine Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities,” while Israeli sources revealed that Mossad has conducted covert sabotage missions against strategic missile systems inside Iran.