The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel triggered one of the most forceful counterterrorism campaigns in modern history. Since then, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and other Iran-backed groups have threatened to annihilate Israel and the United States. Israel responded with highly sophisticated strikes, blending special operations and advanced intelligence.
In 2024, Israel eliminated several top commanders in a series of high-profile strikes. On April 1, a precision airstrike on Iran’s diplomatic mission in Damascus marked Israel’s first direct attack on Iranian sovereign territory. The strike killed Mohammed Zahedi, Quds Force commander for Syria and Lebanon; Hossein Aminullah, the Quds Force chief of staff for Syria and Lebanon; Mohammed Hadi Haj Rahimi, commander for Palestine; and six other IRGC officers. Together, they formed the leadership responsible for directing proxy operations in Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territories, and their deaths disrupted Iran’s coordination with allied militant networks across the region.
On September 27 of that year, a bunker-busting strike eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of the Quds Force, who had been sent from Tehran to urge Nasrallah to flee. Their deaths wiped out two of Tehran’s most senior operatives in a single blow.
One of the boldest attacks came in June 2025, when “Operation Rising Lion” struck deep inside Iran. Coordinated strikes across several cities eliminated much of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leadership, crippled Iran’s nuclear program, and disrupted its proxy command networks.
The opening strike on June 13 targeted an underground command center hosting Iran’s top military brass. IRGC chief Hossein Salami, one of the most powerful figures in Iran and a direct subordinate to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in the blast. Alongside him fell Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces since 2016, who had overseen Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in April and October 2024.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces and architect of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs, was also killed that day. Hajizadeh had openly vowed to destroy Israel and directed Iran’s most advanced strike capabilities. Gholamali Rashid, commander of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and a veteran of the Iran–Iraq War, was eliminated in the same attack.
The June 13 strikes also killed Daoud Shihyan, commander of Iran’s air defense forces, who had played a central role in countering drones and cruise missiles during the 2024–25 escalation. Taher Pour, head of the IRGC UAV Unit and a key architect of Iran’s drone warfare program, was likewise confirmed dead. His elimination, along with other senior UAV and air force officers, dealt a major blow to Iran’s drone and missile command infrastructure.
In the weeks that followed, Israel expanded its campaign with follow-up strikes that eliminated several senior commanders, including Quds Force deputy Abbas Nilforoushan, Syria–Lebanon Quds Force chief Mohammed Zahedi, and IRGC Intelligence Organization head Mohammad Kazemi. Kazemi, a senior figure since the 1980s, was killed later in June 2025. As head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, he oversaw intelligence and proxy coordination across the region, and his death dealt a severe blow to Iran’s intelligence apparatus.
Behind the campaign was extensive Mossad preparation. Operatives had spent months establishing covert bases, smuggling precision weapons into Iran, and pre-positioning assets across the region. When the war opened, Israeli forces were able to hit multiple cities—Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, and Tabriz—demonstrating both reach and precision. Real-time coordination allowed simultaneous strikes against heavily defended underground facilities that had once seemed untouchable.
The scope of the covert effort was unprecedented. Roughly one hundred foreign agents were embedded inside Iran to operate smuggled missile systems that destroyed launchers and air defenses, clearing the way for Israeli air power. Planning dated back to 2023, when Israel created a new air force intelligence unit dedicated to preparing for a showdown with Iran. Absolute secrecy was maintained; even ministers’ families were not told until after the opening strikes, while Israel’s own chain of command was duplicated across multiple locations to ensure continuity if leadership were targeted.
The campaign also relied on close coordination with Washington. Israeli leaders hoped the United States would neutralize the hardened Fordo nuclear facility, which it ultimately did on June 22. Discussions even touched on targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, though this option was abandoned when he went deep underground.
Iran’s retaliation was massive but limited in effectiveness. Over 500 ballistic missiles and roughly 1,100 drones were launched at Israel, killing 31 people, wounding more than 3,000, and damaging thousands of homes and public buildings. Yet Iranian aircraft never engaged, as commanders feared friendly-fire from their own air defenses. Within 48 hours, Israeli officials declared that the skies over Tehran were under their control.
The June 2025 campaign decapitated Iran’s military leadership, leaving its nuclear, missile, and proxy operations in disarray. The elimination of commanders and scientists was one of the most comprehensive blows ever delivered against a state’s leadership structure, fundamentally weakening Tehran’s ability to wage war. Israel not only proved its capacity to dismantle an adversary’s command network in coordinated strikes but also demonstrated unprecedented reach deep inside Iranian territory. For Iran, the loss of its military elite, nuclear infrastructure, and operational networks was a crippling setback.
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