Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to two sources familiar with Israel’s military operations and one regional source.
Pakpour was killed in strikes carried out by Israel and the United States on Saturday, Feb. 28, Israeli broadcaster N12 reported.
Israel and the US launched an operation named Operation Roaring Lion to degrade what the Israel Defense Forces described as the Iranian terrorist regime and remove existential threats to Israel over time.
The strikes targeted Iran’s leadership and plunged the Middle East into a new conflict.
US President Donald Trump said the action would end a security threat to the United States and give Iranians an opportunity to topple their rulers.
Tehran responded by launching missiles at Israel, while explosions were also reported in nearby oil-producing Gulf Arab countries.
Pakpour, considered among the most powerful figures in Iran, was appointed commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in June last year after the killing of Hossein Salami in Israeli airstrikes. He was tasked with enhancing the capabilities, readiness, and internal cohesion of the IRGC.
The IRGC operates independently of Iran’s regular army and reports directly to the Supreme Leader. It oversees Iran’s missile programme and maintains a network of allied armed groups abroad.
Born in 1961 in Arak, Pakpour joined the IRGC after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and later commanded ground forces from 2009. Last month, he warned the US and Israel to avoid miscalculation, saying Iran stood ready to execute the orders of its commander in chief.