Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson, Ali Mohammad Naini, has been killed in overnight strikes carried out jointly by the United States and Israel, the IRGC reported.
The 68-year-old brigadier general was martyred in the attack, according to the IRGC statement on Friday. His death came just hours after he appeared on national television to discuss Iran's missile production capabilities.
Naini stated that Iran's missile industry deserves a perfect score and that there is no concern in this regard, even under wartime conditions, as quoted by the Fars news agency.
Regional Context
The Israeli army said on Friday that it was carrying out strikes across eastern Tehran, as the country marks the Persian New Year, Nowruz, which this year coincides with Eid al-Fitr.
Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, described the mood in the capital as hushed, with none of the customary festivities visible on the streets.
Naini's killing is the latest in a string of high-profile assassinations that have gutted Iran's establishment in under three weeks, including the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International Response
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the last job anyone in the world wants right now is a senior leadership role in the IRGC or Basij.
However, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the House Intelligence Committee this week that US and Israeli objectives are different, adding that while Israel had been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership, the US goals are to destroy Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and their navy.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US and Israel had still failed to grasp that Iran's political structure does not rest on any single person, stating that the presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.
Source: Al Jazeera
