Iran names new military top brass after several commanders killed in Israeli airstrikes

• At least 20 senior Iranian commanders were killed in strikes.
• Six nuclear scientists also lost their lives in Israeli attack.
• Shademani appointed commander of Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed a new military leadership following the killing of several top commanders in Israeli airstrikes that targeted nuclear facilities, missile factories, and key personnel to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions, including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

At least 20 senior Iranian commanders, including the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and scientists, were killed in strikes, two regional sources told Reuters.

Following the confirmation, Ayatollah Khamenei swiftly appointed new Revolutionary Guards and armed forces chiefs to replace those killed.

In separate decrees, Khamenei named Major General Mohammad Pakpour to replace Salami as IRGC commander and Major General Abdulrahim Mousavi to replace Mohammad Bagheri as chief of the armed forces general staff.

Major General Ali Shademani was appointed as the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.

Below is a list of the commanders and scientists killed:

Mohammad Bagheri: A former IRGC commander, Major General Bagheri was the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces from 2016.

Hossein Salami: He was the commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019.

Gholamali Rashid: Major General Rashid was head of the IRGC's Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh: He was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force. Israel has identified him as the central figure responsible for directing aerial attacks against its territory.

Ali Shamkhani: He was one of Iran’s most influential politicians and a close confidant of Ayatollah Khamenei. He had been overseeing nuclear talks with the United States as part of a committee named by the supreme leader to direct the negotiations.

Nuclear Scientists

Fereydoun Abbasi: Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranji: He was a theoretical physicist and the president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Iranian news agency also identified four other slain scientists as:

Abdolhamid Minouchehr: holder of a PhD in nuclear engineering, who served as dean of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University and conducted extensive research on improving the efficiency and safety of nuclear plants.

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari: professor of nuclear engineering at Shahid Beheshti University.

Amir Hossein Faghihi: who belonged to the engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University and previously served as vice president of the AEOI and head of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute.

Motallebzadeh: a nuclear scientist who was targeted and killed along with his wife.

'Will respond decisively'

In a separate development, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote a letter to the United Nations, describing the attack as a "declaration of war" and called on the UN Security Council to immediately address the issue, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Araghchi requested the meeting in a letter to the 15-member body, saying Israel “has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished”.

“Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts.”

Article 51 of the UN Charter covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attack.

'Middle East airspace shut'

Airlines steered clear of much of the Middle East on Friday after Israeli attacks on Iranian sites forced carriers to cancel or divert thousands of flights in the latest upheaval to travel in the region.

Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed and Israel's air defence units stood on high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israel's El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel as did Air France and budget carriers Ryanair and Wizz.

Wizz said it had re-routed flights affected by closed airspace in the region for the next 72 hours. Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia were moving planes out of the country.

FlightRadar data showed airspace over Iran, Iraq and Jordan was empty, with flights directed towards Saudi Arabia and Egypt instead.

About 1,800 flights to and from Europe had been affected so far on Friday, including approximately 650 cancelled flights, according to Eurocontrol.

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace closed due to war, the Middle East region has become an even more important route for international flights between Europe and Asia.

The escalation of the Middle East conflict knocked shares in airlines around the world with British Airways owner IAG down 4.6%, Delta Air Lines down 4%, and Ryanair off 3.5%. A surge in oil prices after the attack also stirred concerns about jet fuel prices.

Many global airlines had already halted flights to and from Tel Aviv after a missile fired by Yemen's Houthis towards Israel on May 4 landed near the airport.

Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, according to state media and notices to pilots.

Air India, which flies over Iran on its Europe and North American flights, said several flights were being diverted or returned to their origin, including ones from New York, Vancouver, Chicago and London.

Germany's Lufthansa said its flights to Tehran have been suspended and that it would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for the time being.

Emirates also cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran, while Qatar Airways axed flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Iraq, early on Friday, closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.

Eastern Iraq near its border with Iran contains one of the world's busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any one moment.

Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iraq, also closed its airspace several hours after the Israeli campaign began.

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said it had instructed Russian airlines to stop using the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan until June 26. It said flights to airports in Iran and Israel were also off limits for civil carriers. FlyDubai has cancelled 22 flights scheduled for June 13-14 to Dubai from 10 Russian airports, Russia's RIA news agency said, citing Rosaviatsia.