Six Iranian nuclear scientists were killed on Friday in Israeli strikes, Iranian state media reported.
Israel has said the attack was carried out to curb Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.
Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh was appointed commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in October 2009.
Born in Tehran in 1962, Hajizadeh joined the IRGC in 1980, shortly after the start of the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War, and served as a sniper in various operations.
Following the war, he joined the IRGC Air Force and began working in the IRGC's missile development programme.Later, in 2006, he was appointed commander of the IRGC Air Defence.
Hajizadeh was sanctioned by the US Treasury along with other IRGC commanders after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone near the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019.
After the downing of the Ukrainian airliner near Tehran in January 2020 by an IRGC missile, which killed all 176 people on board, Hajizadeh described the incident as an accident, took full responsibility, and stated that he would accept any punishment determined by the Iranian authorities.
Israel has launched another wave of attacks on Iran, targeting key military sites in Tabriz, located in the northwest, and Shiraz in the south, according to Iranian media reports
This latest wave of Israeli attack follows an earlier assault on Iran's nuclear sites, missile factories, and military facilities. Israel claims its aggression is aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, despite Iran's long-standing insistence that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful civilian purposes.
Iranian Tasnim News Agency stated that the latest Israeli blitz targetted Tabriz, with early reports indicating that an airport and nearby air bases were targeted.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei condemned the attack, vowing that Israel would face severe punishment. Khamenei stated that Iran's armed forces would ensure retribution and that the martyrs' successors would continue their work. He warned Israel of a "bitter and painful fate" in the wake of the aggression.
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 any retaliation.
Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami was assassinated in the attack, IRNA reported. The unit's headquarters in Tehran had been hit.
At least 50 people injured in the Israeli attack have been taken to Chamran Hospital in Tehran’s Tajrish district, with 35 of the injured being women and children, Tasnim news agency reported.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had "unleashed its wicked and bloody hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive "a bitter fate for itself".
Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel's Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defence capabilities.
Iranian state media reported that at least six nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, were killed in Israeli strikes in Tehran.
However, the Iranian nuclear agency has stated that the Israeli attacks on the nuclear facilities, saying that no one was killed at the site that was hit.
In a statement on Friday after the Israeli regime's airstrikes, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed that damages were inflicted on parts of various complexes in the attack on the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan enrichment complex
"We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.
"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."
An Israeli military official said Israel was striking "dozens" of nuclear and military targets, including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel's air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
"Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders".
"We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us," he said.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders".
"We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us," he said.
Israeli Minister Gideon Saar was holding a "marathon of calls" with counterparts around the world regarding Israel's attack on Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The United States said it had no part in the operation, which raises the risk of a fresh escalation in tensions in the Middle East, a major oil-producing region
US President Donald Trump would convene a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday morning, the White House said.
Iran's armed forces spokesperson said Israel and its chief ally, the United States, would pay a "heavy price" for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation.
An Israeli official told Israel's public broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington on the strikes.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said the United States was not involved and Tel Aviv had acted unilaterally for self-defence.
"We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement.
"Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel," he added.
The State Department issued an advisory saying that all US government employees in Israel and their family members should "shelter in place until further notice".
The attacks triggered sharp falls in stock prices in early Asian trade on Friday, led by a selloff in US futures, while oil prices jumped as investors scurried to safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc.
US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment program in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators. But the talks have appeared to be deadlocked.
Trump said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution.
A source familiar with US intelligence reports said there has been no recent change in the U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei has not authorised the restarting of the nuclear weapons program that was shuttered in 2003.
Even so, US intelligence had indicated that Israel was preparing a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
The US military was planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli aggression has triggered reactions from major countries across the globe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the country was targeting Iranian scientists working on a nuclear bomb and missile factories in a so-called "operation" that would continue for days.
Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran and Iraq, and Jordan on Friday after Israel launched attacks on Iran, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers scrambling to divert and cancel flights to keep passengers and crew safe.
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel's air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel.
Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, according to state media and notices to pilots.
