The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly launched a “preemptive” strike targeting military and nuclear locations on Friday.
News outlets in Iran are reporting that Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Friday.
Israel claims its Air Force conducted numerous strikes against Iranian nuclear and military sites, notably the Natanz enrichment facility. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Press TV reports that other casualties include Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.
Iranian officials have not yet released information regarding casualties or the extent of the damage. Local media sources, however, indicate that civilians were killed in residential areas of Tehran during the strikes.