Israel kills another top Iranian commander as conflict escalates

Israel killed Iran’s new wartime chief of staff in an airstrike just days after assassinating his predecessor, the IDF said Tuesday.

Maj.-Gen. Ali Shademani, who led Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, was described by the Israel Defense Forces as the country’s “most senior military commander” and a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

His death is the latest in Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which has targeted much of Iran’s top military leadership since launching Friday. Israel’s opening strikes killed Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff.

While European calls for de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran are largely falling flat, German MP Johann Wadephul, speaking from Oman on Monday, said Berlin is using its ties with both Israel and regional powers to push for diplomacy.

“My hope and my efforts are that it will not be a prolonged war, but that we take the opportunity to enter into a negotiation phase,” he said. But he added that Iran must show “clear willingness to refrain from nuclear armament” if talks are to move forward.

Speaking to ABC news on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that
targeting Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing conflict between the countries.

“The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil,” he said.

Explosions were reported Tuesday in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as Iranian state media claimed a new wave of missiles had been launched toward Israel. These were followed by a new round of Israeli airstrikes in western Iran, according to a military official.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an all-caps warning on social media Tuesday urging Iranians to evacuate Tehran — further stoking fears of regional escalation.

“I’m not too much in a mood to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday, adding he wanted “not a ceasefire, a real end” to the conflict.

“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror. We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” a joint statement from G7 leaders, including the U.S., said Monday.

Joe Stanley-Smith contributed to this report.