The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dealt another major blow to Iran as it eliminated the most senior military commander in Iran – just four days after being appointed. Iran’s Chief of Staff of the War, Ali Shadmani, had been given the post after the assassination of Lieutenant General Gholamali Rashid last week.

He was killed during a precision overnight airstrike on a manned headquarters located in central Tehran. The strike was carried out following actionable intelligence received by the IDF Intelligence Branch, which provided a rare opportunity to target one of the highest-ranking figures in the Iranian military hierarchy. In his various roles, he was directly involved in planning attacks agianst Israel.

Ali Shadmani joins a growing list of denior militray personnel assassinated by the IDF since Israel launched its blistering attack on Iran on Friday.

The IDF claimd the scalp of Mohammad Bagheri within the first 24 hours of Operation Rising Lion, along with several other powerful and influential military leaders.

Bagheri was the highest ranking military officer in Iran in his role as the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces – which includes both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Iranian army.

He joined the IRGC in 1980 aged 20 and, alongside his brother, helped establish the Guards’ intelligence unit during the Iran-Iraq war.

He was considered less hardline than other commanders. He recently gave a speech in April in front of the ancient ruins of Persepolis in which he called for peace and the avoidance of war.

Other senior commanders killed include Hossein Salami – the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Amir Ali Hajizadeh – commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, as well as Gholamali Rashid – head of the IRGC’s Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Israel says several “military targets” in western Iran were hit in overnight attacks, including surface-to-surface missiles and drone storage sites.

Iran also launched another missile barrage at Israeli cities, with explosions heard in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening.

Israeli emergency services reported five people were injured after a missile landed near a bus parking lot in a central part of the country.

Menwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu told ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl in an interview — arguing that Khamenei is “like a modern Hitler.”