The New York Times: The commander of the Quds Force Esmail Qaani was killed at the attacks on Friday
The New York Times, citing an informed Iranian source, revealed on Friday that the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Esmail Qaani, was killed following surprise Israeli military attacks that targeted strategic targets inside Iran early this morning.
Qaani’s death is the latest in a series of Israeli attacks targeting senior Iranian military leaders, most notably Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami and Iranian Army Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, among others top leaders who were also killed in the same attacks.
On Friday morning, Israel launched a large-scale military operation, which it said targeted nuclear and military sites that pose a direct threat to Israel’s security, most notably the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, one of Iran’s most prominent nuclear facilities.
“Through this operation, we aim to defeat the existential Iranian threat, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, stressing that Israel expects waves of retaliatory attacks from Iran, and that the Israeli military is “at maximum readiness.
These developments come amid unprecedented escalating tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran, amid international warnings that the situation could slide into an open regional confrontation.
