On the eve of Purim 5786 (2026): A senior Israeli official said Saturday night that according to data received by the defense establishment, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was eliminated in the heart of Tehran.
According to additional reports received during the day, Khamenei’s close adviser, Ali Shamkhani, recently appointed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as Secretary of the Supreme Defense Council, was also eliminated. During Operation Rising Lion, Shamkhani’s home was struck and he was trapped under the rubble for three hours but survived.
In Israel, it is also estimated that the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, was eliminated in the opening strikes of Operation Roaring Lion on Saturday morning. Pakpour was appointed to his position after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was eliminated by Israel in Operation Rising Lion.
Nasir Zadeh, who is believed to have been eliminated Saturday morning, served as Chief of Staff of the Iranian Air Force. He also served as commander of the Iranian Air Force and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Iran’s armed forces.
Another senior official who may have been eliminated in the strikes in Tehran this morning is Iran’s Chief of Staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi. Mousavi was appointed to the position on June 13, 2025, after his predecessor was eliminated in the opening blow of Operation Rising Lion.
Before being appointed Chief of Staff, Mousavi served as commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and as Deputy Chief of Staff. Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, who was apparently eliminated, is a Shiite Muslim cleric. On September 9, 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on Khatib and the Ministry of Intelligence over alleged involvement in cyber crimes.
According to IDF assessments, Iran has so far launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel - between 100 and 150 missiles over approximately ten hours, in addition to the launch of dozens of UAVs. The launches from Iran began about two hours after Israel and the United States carried out their opening strike.
Some of the launches were intercepted en route by US aerial defense systems deployed in the Middle East - in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan - as well as by fighter jets from allied countries such as Britain.
One of the central missions of the Israeli Air Force over the past 24 hours, beyond eliminating senior Iranian officials, has been to suppress as much as possible Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles by striking hundreds of launchers. Another objective was to target Iran’s air defense systems in order to enable Israel and the United States to achieve aerial superiority, allowing for broad and intensive strikes against the Islamic Republic.