Israel eliminates Iran's newly appointed Chief of Staff Ali Shadmani

The IDF reported this.

"Using precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate and seizing a sudden opportunity overnight (Tuesday), the Israeli Air Force hit a command center in central Tehran and eliminated Ali Shadmani," the statement said.

According to the IDF, Shadmani was one of Iran’s top military commanders and considered the closest aide to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He oversaw both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian army.

Shadmani had taken command of the Iranian Armed Forces after his predecessor, Alaa Ali Rashid, was killed during the first phase of Operation Lion Awakening. Before that, he served as deputy commander of the same center and headed operations for the Iranian General Staff.

"The Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command Center, which he led, was in charge of combat operations and approving Iran's fire support plans. In these roles, he directly shaped Iran’s military plans against the State of Israel," the IDF added.

Background

On May 1, U.S. intelligence indicated Israel was preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

Reuters later reported that Saudi Arabia had warned Tehran to take the Trump administration’s nuclear deal proposal seriously to avoid a possible conflict with Israel.

On June 7, Iranian intelligence claimed it had obtained a large cache of classified data on Israel’s nuclear program.

Trump had earlier threatened military action if nuclear talks with Iran collapsed, saying he doubted Tehran would agree to halt uranium enrichment, a key U.S. demand. Military options were presented to him if diplomacy failed. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasserzadeh warned that Iran would strike U.S. bases in the region if attacked.

On the night of June 13, Israel launched a wide operation against Iran, hitting its nuclear and military targets. Fox News reported Israel had lured Iranian air force leadership into a meeting shortly before launching the strikes.

Following the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Tehran to reach an agreement "before it's too late" and praised Israel’s strikes as a success.

Later, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization reported a radiation leak at the Natanz nuclear facility. No external contamination was found.

In response, Iran fired ballistic missiles, smoke rose over Tel Aviv. Three waves of missile attacks from Tehran were recorded.

Trump later told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the U.S. would consider striking Iran’s underground nuclear site at Fordow if needed to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran didn’t aim to spread the conflict to neighboring countries but would act in self-defense if necessary.

On June 14, five Ukrainian citizens, including three children, were killed in an Iranian missile strike on the Israeli city of Bat Yam.