Iran Leader vows harsh retaliation after Israeli airstrikes assassinate top military commanders

In a public message, Ayatollah Khamenei condemned the “criminal act” and said the Israeli regime had exposed its “malicious nature” by striking civilian areas.

“The Zionist regime must await a harsh punishment,” he stated, adding that Iran’s armed forces would respond decisively.

Among the high-profile casualties are Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, Major General Gholamali Rashid, head of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, and General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

The strike also killed Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, theoretical physicist and President of Islamic Azad University.

Fereydoon Abbasi, the former head of head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has also been killed.

Iran’s military has pledged a “crushing and regret-inducing” response following the wave of Israeli airstrikes.

The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces issued its first official statement, condemning the attacks as “blatant aggression” and a violation of international law.