Dozens of senior Iranian leaders believed to be dead following Israeli, US airstrikes, including the chief of the IRGC, Iranian defense minister, intelligence chief, and key figures in Iran’s nuclear program.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsIsraeli and American airstrikes killed dozens of senior Iranian officials on Saturday, including top defense officials and key figures in Iran’s nuclear program.As of Sunday morning, it is believed that roughly 40 top Iranian officials were killed during the first day of strikes, sources told CBS News.The IDF confirmed on Sunday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was among the dead in a massive bombing attack on Khamenei’s residence in Tehran Saturday morning.Israeli warplanes dropped 30 bombs on the building, while Khamenei held a high-level meeting with aides and defense officials.Iranian state media announced Saturday evening that Khamenei’s remains had been pulled from the rubble.The Israeli military identified seven other high-ranking Iranian officials killed in a pair of strikes Saturday morning, including the bombing of Khamenei’s Tehran residence.The dead include Ali Shamkhani, a member of Khamenei’s inner circle and a key decision-maker in the Islamic Republic. A member of the Expediency Discernment Council, Shamkhani was a trusted adviser to Khamenei who previously served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and as defense minister.The IDF strikes also eliminated Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) following the elimination of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, during the 12-Day War last June.According to the Israeli military, Pakpour was responsible for ordering ballistic missile attacks on Israel, as well as for directing the Iran-backed terrorist proxy groups across the Middle East.“In addition, he effectively commanded the violent suppression of Iranian protesters during the internal protests of the past month.”Iran’s current defense minister, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, was also slain in the strikes. Nasirzadeh was responsible for industries producing long-range missiles and weapons transferred to the regime’s proxies, as well as for the SPND, the military research organization charged with pursuing nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.Two other senior SPND officials were also killed, including SPND chairman Hossein Jabal Amelian, and Reza Mozaffari-Nia, a former SPND chairman.Other senior Iranian officials killed in the attacks include the chief of the intelligence branch of Iran’s Emergency Command Headquarters Salah Asadi, and Mohammad Shirazi, a top adviser to Khamenei since the ayatollah rose to power in 1989.The post Not just Khamenei: 40 senior Iranian officials killed in strikes appeared first on World Israel News.