In a major escalation of regional tensions, Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s top military officer and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. The strikes, described as highly coordinated, targeted key Iranian nuclear and military sites, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Iranian state media, including the Tehran Times and Tasnim News Agency, confirmed the death of Bagheri, alongside other senior officials such as Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attack marked one of the most significant blows to Iran’s military leadership in recent years.

The headquarters of the IRGC in Tehran was among the targets hit in the wave of Israeli airstrikes, which also ignited fires in several military installations. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that one of the Israeli strikes impacted the Natanz site and stated that it is monitoring the situation closely.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri, born Mohammad-Hossein Afshordi, has been at the helm of Iran’s armed forces since 2016. A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Bagheri joined the IRGC in 1980 and rose through the ranks as an intelligence and operations expert. His birth year remains uncertain, with various sources citing either 1958 or 1960.

Educated in engineering, Bagheri later earned a doctorate in political geography. He was deeply involved in military planning during the Iran-Iraq War and was part of a core group of IRGC commanders considered instrumental in shaping Iran’s modern military strategy. That group, referred to by analysts at the American Enterprise Institute as the IRGC Command Network, has long dominated Iran's defence and intelligence structures.

Bagheri's legacy was also intertwined with Iran’s revolutionary past. Reports indicate that he participated in the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. His brother, Hassan Bagheri (born Gholam-Hossein Afshordi), a celebrated IRGC commander, was killed during the Iran-Iraq War, further cementing the Bagheri family’s place in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Friday's strikes follow heightened rhetoric and growing fears of conflict. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had recently warned of a “massive conflict” looming in the region. In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was intended to ‘neutralise imminent threats’ from Iran’s nuclear and military programs.

The Israeli military has not officially confirmed the identities of those targeted but emphasised the operation focused on strategic facilities and key command centres believed to be involved in Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional military activities.

The deaths of Bagheri and Salami have sent shockwaves through Iran, where both men were seen as pillars of the regime's military doctrine. Iranian officials have vowed retaliation and a surge in military readiness has been reported across IRGC bases.

The international community has expressed alarm over the rapid escalation. The United Nations called for restraint, while the European Union urged all parties to avoid actions that could lead to a broader war. Oil prices spiked sharply following the strikes, reflecting global market anxieties over a wider conflict in the Middle East.