Iranian state media confirmed the killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Commander Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami and Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri in the opening strike of Israel's Operation Rising Lion early Friday morning.
The IDF later confirmed the killing of IRGC air force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, along with other senior IRGC air force officials as they met in an underground command center on Friday.
This included the commander of the IRGC’s UAV Force, Taher-pour, and IRGC aerial command chief, Davoud Shaykhian.
The IDF on Friday afternoon confirmed Defense Minister Israel Katz's earlier statement, noting that the Iran IRGC Air Force Chief, drone chief, and air defense chief were all killed by airstrikes.
More specifically, the IDF said that these officials had directed the massive Iranian attacks on Israel in both April 2024 and October 2024, as well as the Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Dozens of Israeli aircraft participated in an initial wave of strikes on dozens of military targets and Iranian nuclear sites.
"The response to the Israeli attack will be harsh and decisive," an Iranian official said, adding that details of Iran's retaliation "are being discussed at the highest levels" when asked whether the attack would be imminent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that "Iran is gearing up to produce tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, which could kill millions of Israelis even without nuclear weapons, but imagine if any of them had nuclear weapons on them."
Further, Netanyahu stated Iran may only be a few months away from being able to actually make a nuclear weapon, and not just have enough uranium.
The IDF confirmed that the reason for the attack is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world," the military said.
Read more on Israel's strike on Iranian nuclear targets
Israel launches preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear sites, military targetsLive updates: Israel targets Iran: IDF strike hits IRGC HQ, kills IRGC head, nuclear scientists
The IDF's main targets are nuclear sites, but also included commanders and bases.
