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.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -On the campaign trail, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to end the world's hottest conflicts and usher in global peace, but nearly five months in, with Israel attacking Iran and bloodshed in Gaza and Ukraine unabated, those hopes are in shambles.

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was the most senior leader among the dead, according to Iranian state media.

Good morning. Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities. Oil surges and stocks slide. And read an account of the lone survivor of yesterday’s India jet crash. Listen to the day’s top stories.

Markets in Asia opened lower early Friday while oil prices surged after Israel attacked Iran's capital amid the ramping up tensions over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. U.S. benchmark crude oil rose by $5.

By Crispian Balmer, Parisa Hafezi and Hereward Holland JERUSALEM/DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran on Friday, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders and that this was start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

U.S. officials have been told Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran, multiple sources told CBS News.