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While the Americans have been concentrating on hitting nuclear sites, ballistic missiles, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) rank-and-file, Israel has assumed for itself the task of taking out many of the senior leaders, both military men and civilians, of the Iranian regime. In just the first day of Operation Roaring Lion (the name Israel has given to its war with Iran, while the Americans call their operation Epic Fury), the Israelis have taken out dozens of IRGC commanders, including its head, and show every sign of continuing their campaign of targeted assassinations. More on the IDF’s achievements in this deadly line can be found here: “Israel may have killed dozens of senior Iranian officials, with Ali Khamenei as top target,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, February 28, 2026:
Up to dozens of top Iranian officials may have been assassinated collectively at a few different meetings on Saturday, with indications that Israel focused on this part of the joint US-Israel bombings, while American forces focused on other issues, such as attacking the ballistic missile apparatus, naval targets, and nuclear targets.
The top targeted official is Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israeli confidence has grown over the course of the day that he has been assassinated, though it is not yet definitive.
His well-known command center in Tehran was bombed, but reports were that he was not there.
However, in June 2025, Israel managed to assassinate top Iranian officials, also at their backup secret locations….
As of late afternoon on February 28, Israel has confirmed that Ayatollah Khamenei has been killed. His body has been recovered from under the rubble.
Ali Shamkhani, another top security aide to Khamenei for over a decade, may also have been killed, though he was also thought to be killed in the June 2025 Operation, and at that time survived.
Ali Shamkkani has now been confirmed dead.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Chief Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, who just recently replaced his predecessor who was killed in June 2025, also may be dead.
IRGC Chief General Mohammd Pakpour has now been confirmed dead.
Esmail Qaani, who replaced the infamous Qasem Soleimani as head of the feared IRGC Quds Force after he was assassinated in 2000, could have been killed in the same attacks.
Esmail Qaani, head of the IRGC Quds Force, has been confirmed dead.
Iran army military chief, Abdolrahim Mousavi, who also replaced his predecessor who was killed in June 2025, also may be dead.
The Iranian army’s head, Abdolrahim Mousavi, has been confirmed dead.
The defense minister for Iran, Amir Nasirzadeh, may also be among the top officials assassinated….
Israel has confirmed that Amir Nasirzadeh has been killed.
Considering that “dozens” of IRGC senior commanders were killed in just a handful of the 500 attacks carried out on the first day by Israeli planes, it is almost certain that at least one hundred members of the IRGC and the Iranian National Army were killed. That would mean in the first day of the attack, when Iran claims that 201 Iranians were killed, Israel has managed to attain a civilian-to-combatant ratio of 1:1. The UN has said that in all the wars fought since World War II, the average civilian-to-combatant ratio of 9:1. In Afghanistan, the Americans managed to bring that ratio own to 4:1, and in Iraq, to 3:1. In Iran today, the Americans and Israelis have achieved a civilian-to-combatant ratio of about 1:1. That is unheard-of in the annals of modern warfare.
There have been news reports breathlessly suggesting that with Khamenei gone, the IRGC now faces a “war of succession.” Perhaps. I tend to think that given the likely lifespan of any future IRGC commanders, the war will be over not who will succeed the supreme leader, but who can avoid doing so. If I were an IRGC bigshot, I’d head out of town right now, possibly dressed in a chador or better still, a niqab. The remote Alborz mountains are said to be beautiful this time of year.
