Who was Hossein Salami, Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief killed in latest Israeli attack?

Hossein Salami, Chief of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, was killed in Israel's latest attack, AFP reported citing local media reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led government carried out a massive attack in Iran's capital early on Friday.

Headquarters of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were set ablaze as Israeli explosions targeted several sites across Tehran including nuclear and military sites. On the prime target were officials leading Iran's nuclear programme and its ballistic-missile arsenal. Let's find out more about Hossein Salami.

• The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was born in 1960 in Golpayegan.
• When Hossein Salami was pursuing college education, he joined the IRGC during the Iran–Iraq War.
• He became deputy commander later as his work over the years helped him rise up through the ranks.
• He replaced major general Mohammad Ali Jafari on April 21, 2019, when the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.
• He was killed on June 13, 2025, in an Israeli airstrike.

The latest attack comes amid escalating tensions over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. For the first time in 20 years, the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) censured Iran on Thursday as it refrained from working with its inspectors. Following this development, Iran announced that it would establish a third enrichment site in the country. In addition to this, it declared its plans to swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.

Following the attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement and said that Israel took “unilateral action against Iran.” He further mentioned that Israel cited self-defence over its recent decision and said that it believed the strikes were necessary.

Furthermore, US warned Iran against targeting United States interests or personnel. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” the statement added.