Iran's Top Military Commanders Downed In US, Israel Airstrike

Reports from local media said Iran's Major General Amir Hatami was killed in early joint airstrikes by Israel and the US, though no independent confirmation was available. Israeli forces and Iranian authorities did not verify the claim, while information on casualties in Tehran and other locations remained unclear.

The Israeli military confirmed missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel, which led to warning sirens across several regions and a formal state of emergency. Authorities told residents to stay near bomb shelters as alerts sounded in Tel Aviv and other parts of the country through the night.

Iran attack Israel and regional missile exchanges

Iran answered earlier strikes with an estimated 50–70 ballistic missiles fired at Israel, triggering sirens and emergency notifications across Tel Aviv. At the same time, witnesses in Tehran reported powerful blasts and dense smoke near government and military buildings, adding to fears of a wider regional conflict.

After initial reports of Israeli missile strikes, US President Donald Trump said the US had begun "major combat operations" in Iran. In a video message, Trump stated, "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," and said the plan focused on Iran's missile and naval systems.

Iran attack Israel and strikes inside Iranian cities

Explosions were reported in several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Tabriz, Isfahan and Karaj, many close to official or military facilities. Monitoring group NetBlocks said internet connectivity across Iran, especially around Tehran, dropped to about 54 % of usual levels, indicating heavy disruption to online services and communication.

Earlier, the US and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian targets, sharply raising tensions in the Middle East. "The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said, describing the stated goal of the initial offensive.

Born in 1966 in Tehran, Amir Hatami joined the Basij at 14 and entered the Iranian Army Ground Forces in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq War. In June 2025, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Hatami Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Army, replacing Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi after the assassination of General Mohammad Bagheri.

Unverified claims of Hatami's death, ongoing missile exchanges between Iran and Israel, and US involvement through large-scale operations in Iran left the situation highly volatile. With many blasts reported, limited casualty data, and reduced internet access, information from affected Iranian cities stayed partial and difficult to confirm.