The conflict between Israel and Iran reached a new threshold on Tuesday as Iranian state media reported that the headquarters of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, was struck in a retaliatory attack by Tehran. The strike, carried out by Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), comes amid spiraling hostilities between the two longtime adversaries.
Iran’s armed forces issued a stern warning to Israel, vowing an imminent escalation involving “new and advanced weapons” and promising a fresh wave of “fierce attacks” in the coming hours.
The reported Mossad strike follows a bold Israeli operation earlier in the day, in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility for killing General Ali Shadmani—one of Iran’s top military commanders and a close advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Shadmani was reportedly targeted in an airstrike in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
For the second time in 5 days— the IDF has eliminated Iran’s War-Time Chief of Staff, the regime’s top military commander.
Ali Shadmani, Iran’s senior-most military official and Khamenei’s closest military advisor, was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise… pic.twitter.com/Bq6Z49zeCj
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025
The conflict between Israel and Iran entered the fifth day on Tuesday, with both sides trading missile strikes. Civilians in key areas face waves of attacks. At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since the hostilities started while 24 people have been killed in Israel
The latest wave of violence traces back to Israel’s launch of “Operation Rising Lion” last week—an extensive aerial campaign targeting Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. The move was widely seen as a pre-emptive strike amid growing fears of Iranian nuclear advancement. In response, Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, triggering a cycle of escalation that shows no sign of abating.
