Israel said Tuesday it killed Iran’s new military chief, Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani, in a strike on Tehran, part of a broader campaign against Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure now in its fifth day.
For the second time in 5 days— the IDF has eliminated Iran’s War-Time Chief of Staff, the regime’s top military commander.
Ali Shadmani, Iran’s senior-most military official and Khamenei’s closest military advisor, was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise… pic.twitter.com/Bq6Z49zeCj
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025
Shadmani had held the position for only about four days, succeeding Maj. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, who was killed during Israel’s initial strikes against Iran on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described him as Iran’s most senior military officer and a close advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has yet to confirm the reports of his death.
In a statement, the IDF said “Shadmani’s elimination adds to a series of eliminations of Iran’s most senior military leadership and degrades the chain of command of the Iranian armed forces.”
Israel’s initial strikes on Friday reportedly killed multiple high-ranking Iranian officials, including IRGC commander Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and IRGC intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, as well as several other top commanders and nuclear scientists.
The IDF added that on Tuesday, it carried out airstrikes on 12 Iranian missile sites near Isfahan using around 60 fighter jets. Footage showed Iranian crews preparing missile launches before the strikes hit, and another video showed an air defense system being destroyed.
The Israeli Air Force destroyed 12 Iranian missile storage and launch sites, according to the IDF.
Footage shows Iranian crews getting ready to fire missiles at Israel just before the sites are hit. Another video shows an air defense system being destroyed. pic.twitter.com/QHrlScTFiH
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) June 17, 2025
“Thanks to our strikes, the Iranian regime forces have been pushed to the center of Iran. Now they are focusing their efforts to launch from the Isfahan area,” IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said on Tuesday. “They have withdrawn from western Iran, but we are pursuing them. We are carrying out planned and precise waves of attacks against the launch sites in the area.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” while warning that the United States knows the exact location of Khamenei but will not target him “at least not for now.”
Axios reported that Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening following a meeting with his national security team to address the growing conflict between Israel and Iran.
According to the news outlet, at least three U.S. officials disclosed that Trump was actively weighing the possibility of entering the conflict by targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, specifically its underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow.
As of Tuesday, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. Iran reported over 450 deaths from Israeli attacks, while Iranian strikes have claimed 24 lives in Israel.
