Iran’s defense minister, armed forces chief dead

Israel and the United States have launched a series of surprise attacks across Iran since Saturday. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in these attacks, state media reported. Several other top officials and military commanders were also killed in the same attack.

According to Iranian state media, both the country's defense minister and the armed forces chief were killed in the attack.

Tehran-based semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the armed forces chief, Lieutenant General Abdolrahim Mousavi, was killed in attack on Saturday.

Mousavi took over the post after the then armed forces chief was killed in Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June last year.

Tasnim News also reported that Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nazirzadeh was also killed in the same attack.

Earlier, Iran confirmed the killing of two other top officials. One of them is Major General Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Defense Council.

Tensions in the Middle East are believed to have increased after the attacks by Israel and the United States.