The Israeli military said on Tuesday it has killed Ali Shadmani, Iran’s newly appointed wartime chief of staff, in a targeted airstrike in central Tehran, just four days after he assumed the top role. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) described the operation as seizing “a sudden opportunity” to eliminate one of Iran’s highest-ranking military figures in its ongoing campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Shadmani, a key military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been promoted on Friday following the death of his predecessor in a previous Israeli strike. His killing marks yet another high-profile loss for Iran’s military leadership amid a string of targeted Israeli operations that began late last week.
Since launching its offensive on Friday, the IDF has systematically targeted senior Iranian commanders, echoing earlier Israeli campaigns that decimated Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon and Hamas operatives in Gaza. Among those confirmed dead in the opening wave of strikes are Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces.
The latest developments followed an overnight missile barrage from Iran against Israel, which, according to Israeli officials, failed to hit any targets. The escalation has raised fears of a broader regional war and placed renewed international pressure on the warring sides to step back from the brink.
Amid the rising hostilities, the G7 summit was abruptly interrupted when President Donald Trump left early to return to Washington for emergency meetings on the Middle East crisis. The White House said Trump had been briefed in advance of the Israeli strike that killed Shadmani and reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
As casualties mount on both sides and diplomatic tensions rise, calls for a ceasefire and broader de-escalation continue to dominate global headlines.
