Who are the top Iranian generals, nuclear scientists killed in Israeli airstrikes

Israel’s sweeping air assault on Iran early Friday killed key figures in the Islamic Republic’s military leadership as well as nuclear scientists.

The strikes, involving more than 200 fighter jets, hit Tehran and strategic sites across the country in the most extensive Israeli attack on Iranian soil to date.

Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 18, 2019 shows Iran's Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Bagheri speaking during a press conference with Syrian Defense Minister and Iraq's Chief of Staff in the Syrian capital Damascus .AFP

Among the dead is Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the highest-ranking military officer in Iran.

Bagheri, who rose through the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces since 2016.

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Bagheri was widely regarded as a military strategist and intelligence expert. He held a doctorate in political geography and had long been part of the IRGC command elite—a group central to Tehran's military planning and internal security.

Major General Hossein Salami

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami speaks during a meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran August 17, 2023. Reuters

Also killed was Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC. Salami, who has led the force since 2019, oversaw Iran’s most powerful military arm and was at the helm during Iran’s first direct missile strikes on Israeli territory last year.

Known for his hardline posture and symbolic public appearances in missile complexes, Salami’s death removes one of the most visible military faces of Iran.

Major General Gholam Ali Rashid

Major General Gholamali RashidCourtesy: Mehr News Agency

Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, was also among the high-profile leaders killed.

Since 2016, Rashid has led Iran’s strategic joint command, overseeing the operations of the IRGC, regular army, and key intelligence and missile units. A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Rashid played a pivotal role in shaping Iran’s regional military posture.

Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh

Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.Wikimedia Commons

Another high-profile casualty is Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force and a towering figure in Iran’s military.

Credited with transforming Iran into a regional drone and missile power, Hajizadeh led strikes on U.S. bases and Israeli-linked targets.

Seen by many as the “new Soleimani,” his death deals a major blow to Tehran’s strategic command.

Ali Shamkhani

Former Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani speaks with journalists during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tehran August 9, 2005. Reuters

Ali Shamkhani, a former top national security official and close adviser to Khamenei, was also killed.

Shamkhani had served for a decade as Iran’s national security chief and was instrumental in restoring diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Although removed from office, he remained deeply involved in Iran’s defense and nuclear policy.

Fereydoon Abbasi

Former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani attends a conference to mark the martyrs of terrorism in Tehran September 6, 2011.Reuters

Iranian media also confirmed the deaths of six senior nuclear scientists.

Among them was Fereydoon Abbasi, a former chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and a longtime architect of the nuclear program.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

President Islamic Azad University Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi.Wikimedia Commons

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of Islamic Azad University and a leading theoretical physicist, was also killed. Another senior figure, Seyed Amir Hossein Feqhi—deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization and professor at Shahid Beheshti University—died in the same wave of strikes.

Other confirmed fatalities include Abdolhamid Minoochehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaqari, and Matlabi-Zadeh, reportedly killed alongside his wife.

The strike campaign marks a historic escalation in Israeli military operations. Supreme Leader Khamenei called the assault “a crime” and vowed a “bitter, painful fate” for Israel.

With both sides locked in hardened postures and global powers urging restraint, the region teeters on the edge of a broader conflict.