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Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Killed in Israel’s Strikes

Hossein Salami was one of several powerful figures to die in the attack.

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was among the senior officials killed during Israel’s strikes on the country. Major General Hossein Salami was one of “at least 20″ top Iranian commanders killed in Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, according to two senior sources who spoke to Reuters. Salami’s killing is likely to be seen as a coup for Israel—but could lead to reprucssions, accroing to CNN, which said he was “at the helm of the IRGC” when Iran sent hundreds of drones and missiles Israel’s way last year, in the first direct strikes by Iran on Israeli territory. CNN security analyst Beth Sanner said slicing Salami would be like killing the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “You can imagine what Americans would do,” she said. Israel’s attack—which it said was to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons—has come at a delicate moment, before another round of talks between the U.S. and Iran, and caused a diplomatic headache for the Trump administration.