Who was Iran Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami 'killed' in Israeli airstrike?

The 65-year-old Hossein Salami was known for his hardliner stance against both Israel and the United States.

Updated on: Jun 13, 2025, 09:58:06 IST

By HT News Desk

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Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is reported to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, AFP reported citing local media. The strike, carried out early Friday, was part of a large-scale Israeli offensive targeting Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.

Head of Iranian revolutionary guard corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami speaks during a ceremony marking the first anniverary of the death of the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on May 15, 2025 (AFP)

“We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history, Moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement.

Notably, The IRGC is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Follow Israel strike on Iran live updates .

Who was Hossein Salami

Salami, a high-ranking hardliner within the Iranian regime, was known for his vocal opposition to both Israel and the United States. “We are proud to be designated a terrorist group by America,” he had said in 2019.
President Donald Trump during his first tenure had officially labeled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.
Salami was born in Golpayegan in 1960. He joined the IRGC during the Iran–Iraq war while pursuing higher education.
Steadily through the ranks, the 65-year-old become deputy commander and later assuming leadership of the IRGC on April 21, 2019, when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed him as commander-in-chief.
Salami was reportedly killed in the strike on June 13, 2025 during Israel's ‘Operation Rising Lion.'
He had also famously stated that Iran’s strategic goal was to remove “the Zionist regime” from the political map, as reported Reuters citing state TV.

The Israeli strike reportedly set ablaze the IRGC headquarters and hit multiple sensitive sites across Tehran. Key figures involved in Iran’s nuclear programme and ballistic missile systems were said to be the main targets. The IRGC plays a central role in overseeing both programmes.

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HT News Desk
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