Who was Ali Shadmani? Israel claims it has killed newly appointed top Iranian commander and Khamenei aide in overnight airstrike

Israel-Iran War: Amid the ongoing war with Tehran, the Israeli Defence Force, IDF, claimed that it has killed a top Iranian commander. IDF said on Tuesday (June 17) that the head of IRGC’s Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ali Shadmani, has been assassinated in an attack on Tehran.

This came just days after Shadmani was appointed to the post after the assassination of the predecessor by Israel.

On June 13, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appointed Shadmani after the previous head of the IRGC, Lt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid, was killed.

"In view of Lt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid’s martyrdom at the hands of the vile Zionist regime, and in light of Major General Ali Shadmani's meritorious services & valuable experience, I confer the rank of Major Gen. & appoint him Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya (pbuh) Central HQ," Khamenei wrote in his post on the social media platform X while announcing the new head.

The Israeli military said Shadmani was Iran’s most senior military commander. IDF called the commander “war chief of staff,” and considered the closest remaining military figure to Iran’s supreme leader.

“He commanded both the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian Armed Forces,” the IDF said.

Israel also alleged that under his leadership, the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters “was responsible for managing combat operations and approving Iran’s attack plans.”

IDF claimed, “In his various roles, he had a direct influence on Iran’s offensive plans targeting the State of Israel."

This came after world leaders at the G7 Summit 2025 issued a joint statement saying that in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, Tel Aviv has the “right to defend itself.”

The statement published by Canada said, "We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel."

Who was Ali Shadmani?

As claimed by the IDF, Shadmani was a close aide of Khamenei and was the top commander of Iran.

He had served as the Commander of the Emergency Command of the Iranian Armed Forces and had both - the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian army - under his command.

“At the start of the operation, he was appointed to command the Iranian Armed Forces after his predecessor, Alaa Ali Rashid, was eliminated in the opening strike of Operation "Rising Lion”,” IDF said.