CNN
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Chief of Secret Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami was one of Iran’s most powerful men, overseeing the most powerful military divisions and reporting directly to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On Friday he was killed in an Israeli lion strike that targeted Iran’s nuclear program and senior military leaders in attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it will last for days.
Iranian state media reported that Salami was killed in a strike at the IRGC headquarters in Tehran. His death, along with other ranking members of Iranian military, could hamper Iran’s response to the attack, analysts say.
“Undoubtedly, Major General Salami was one of the most prominent commanders of the Islamic Revolution. It exists in all aspects of scientific, cultural, security and military jihad,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Friday.
“In every arena, he was on the forefront with a spirit of integrity, wisdom and dedication to the Supreme Leader, defending the revolution and the ideals of the Iranian people,” the statement added.
CNN security analyst Beth Sanner said removing salami is similar to taking out the chairman of the co-chief of staff. “I can imagine what Americans do,” she said.
According to US sanctions equipment born in 1960, Salami has been leading the secret IRGC since 2019.
In this position, I saw him command one of the most powerful tools equipped by the Iranian state. The Iranian state has helped to challenge it at home and project Iran’s power overseas.
The IRGC boasts its own intelligence communications agency, cyber operations unit, the Navy, Air Force and analysts. Analysts estimate that there will be a unit of up to 200,000 people under its command. He also oversaw Iran’s ballistic missile development, and Salami called for development during his tenure.
In 2019, he said for the IRGC ballistic missiles were “a way to end the airline story of American aircraft.”
Analysts say the IRGC funds and supports a vast network of militias across the region that it uses to attack the US and other military personnel in the Middle East.
The IRGC is also expected to provide material and support to Yemen’s Houtsis, allowing the group to attack international shipping in the Red Sea and launch missiles and drones in Israel.
Salami took the helm of the IRGC when Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in Israel on Israel’s first direct strike on Israeli territory.
Footage released by Iranian state media in January saw Salami inspect the media saying it was an underground military facility that played a role in these attacks.
Wearing green uniforms and short beards, Salami was salute by soldiers in a spongy underground complex and walked over the US and Israeli flags on the ground.
The site was currently building “new special missiles.”
Brett McGurk, CNN Global Affairs analyst who served as Middle East coordinator at the Biden White House, said Iran’s response to the Israeli attack could be retreated by Salami’s death and other top military leaders.
In a statement confirming Salami’s death, the IRGC said its command structure and other branches of the military are “fully prepared to provide a decisive and strict response.”
Salami was in the head when the IRGC fired down a Ukrainian passenger jet shortly after taking off from Tehran’s international airport, killing all 176 people on board.
According to Iran’s Mehr News Outlet, the unknown IRGC commander of the TOR M1 surface-to-air missile defense system, who fired down the plane, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Salami apologised for unintentionally shooting a Ukrainian plane down and asked for forgiveness.
Not only is the most powerful military institution in Iran, the IRGC has a profound impact on domestic politics and economy, expanding profits from construction, communications, automobiles and energy industries.
In 2022, Salami warned Iranian youth to stop protesting amid weeks of mass protests that lasted several weeks after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death after he died after being detained by the “moral police,” allegedly failing to comply with the country’s conservative dress code.
“Today is the last day of the riot. Please don’t come again on the streets. What do you want in this country?” Salami said.