Israel annunciates the demise of Iran's supreme military commander, Ali Shadmani.
In a surprising turn of events, the Israeli Army declared on Tuesday the elimination of Ali Shadmani, Iran's top military commander and closest ally to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a late-night bombing on a Tehran command center.
The Army statement claimed that Shadmani, who was in charge of both the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian Armed Forces, had been controlling the ideological army of the regime. This announcement marked the fifth day of open conflict between Israel and Iran, inflamed by Donald Trump's unprecedented plea for Tehran residents to evacuate the city immediately.
Loud explosions echoed in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens blared due to Iranian missile launches. The Israeli Army had earlier warned of large-scale attacks on military targets in western Iran. This aerial campaign, initiated by Israel after decades of covert operations, aims to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weaponry, a claim Iran vehemently denies.
World leaders urged de-escalation, with the G7 urging a resolution to the Iranian crisis to bring broader peace to the Middle East. Europe's foreign ministers also appealed to Iran to return to the negotiating table about its nuclear program without preconditions.
While Trump pushed Iran to renegotiate the once-shelved nuclear deal, Ayatollah Abbas Araghchi, Iran's chief negotiator, questioned Trump's intentions. "Just one phone call from Washington to silence someone like Netanyahu would open the way for a return to diplomacy," he tweeted.
Iran responded to the Israeli attacks with a series of drone and missile attacks, which targeted critical infrastructure in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israel retaliated, striking facilities in western Iraq storing and launching ground-to-ground missiles, and ground-to-air missile launchers, as well as drone depots.
Netanyahu stated that the Israeli attacks were transforming the face of the Middle East, and that the elimination of key Iranian leaders was altering the region's geopolitical landscape. However, there has been no explicit confirmation or denial regarding a plan to eliminate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. Emmanuel Macron, the French President, warned against pushing for regime change in Iran, deeming it a strategic mistake.
Politics and general news continue to swirl as world leaders grapple with the escalating war-and-conflicts between Israel and Iran. The Israeli Army's announcement of Ali Shadmani's elimination, a key figure in Iran's military and politics, has further fueled the ongoing political tensions.
