Iran's Commander-In-Chief, Major General Amir Hatami, was among those reportedly killed in the first wave of airstrikes by Israel and the US on the country on Saturday, according to local Iranian media.
However, these claims have not been independently verified. Neither Iranian officials nor the Israeli military have publicly confirmed the news.
Earlier in the day, the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East. Massive explosions were reported in Tehran. Visuals showed thick smoke rising from buildings in Iran. There is no clarity on the number of casualties so far.
“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 after the strikes.
Know About Major General Amir Hatami
Amir Hatami was born in 1966 in Tehran. He joined the Basij as a volunteer at the age of 14 and began his service in the Iranian Army Ground Forces in 1984. He had served throughout the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Army in June 2025 by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. He replaced Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, who was promoted to Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces after the assassination of Gen Mohammad Bagheri.
Trump Confirms Attack
After the initial Israeli missile attacks, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States had launched “major combat operations” in Iran.
In a video statement shared on social media, Trump confirmed the US military's active involvement. "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," he said, adding that the operation aimed to dismantle Iran's missile industry and naval capabilities.
Iran retaliated and launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel hours after Israeli and US forces carried out pre-emptive strikes. According to media reports, Iran fired about 50–70 missiles at Israel, triggering sirens and emergency alerts across Tel Aviv.
