As the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, was one of the most powerful men in Iran, overseeing its most potent military arm and reporting directly to its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel Defense Forces launched early morning aerial attacks against dozens of nuclear sites in Iran on Friday to prevent the Islamic nation from developing nuclear warheads.

Hossein Salami, the commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in the Israeli strikes, according to Iranian state media. This comes as Israel said its strikes were focused on nuclear programs and scientists.