In what may mark the most significant escalation in the shadow war between Israel and Iran, Israeli media has claimed that Israeli fighter jets carried out a high-precision airstrike deep inside Tehran, killing Major General Ali Shadmani Iran’s Chief of War Staff and one of the most powerful figures in the Islamic Republic’s military establishment. According to multiple Israeli news outlets, the strike targeted a highly sensitive and operational command center in the heart of Tehran. The attack reportedly eliminated General Shadmani, who held the highest operational post in Iran’s armed forces and served as a senior military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
General Shadmani was not only the principal architect of Iran’s military campaigns but also the head of the country’s Emergency Command Center the core body responsible for approving all major military operations and war strategies. His authority extended across both the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), giving him unprecedented control over Tehran’s strategic planning and battlefield coordination.
Before assuming overall military command, General Shadmani served as the Director of Operations at Iran’s General Staff and was Deputy Commander at the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters — Iran’s highest operational command post for defensive and offensive coordination. His expertise in hybrid warfare, asymmetric tactics, and regional deterrence policy had earned him a fearsome reputation among both allies and adversaries.
His appointment to lead Iran’s war effort came in the wake of the death of General Alam Ali Rashid, who was reportedly killed in a prior Israeli airstrike. The elimination of Shadmani represents the second consecutive decapitation strike against Iran’s top brass in as many months, underscoring what observers describe as a systematic Israeli campaign to dismantle the upper echelons of Iran’s military command.
If officially confirmed, General Shadmani’s death would be a devastating blow to Iran’s armed forces, already reeling from a wave of targeted killings that have severely disrupted the continuity of military leadership and command cohesion. Analysts warn that the strike could provoke a major retaliatory response from Tehran and further inflame an already fragile regional security landscape.
As of this writing, Iranian state media and official military sources have not issued a formal confirmation or denial. However, the sheer scale and reported success of the strike are expected to dominate strategic discourse in the coming days, with the international community watching closely for Iran’s next move.
