Top advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader killed in Israeli strikes, state media says

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Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s former Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, according to Iranian state media reports.

Shamkhani was one of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s top senior advisors and was reportedly taken out in his home in Tehran by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike.

The death of Shamkhani marks another significant blow by the Israelis in dismantling Tehran’s military leadership.

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Shamkhani served as one of Iran’s top military officials for decades, beginning as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Ground Forces.

The IRGC is one of the country’s most powerful centers. It was created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force into a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran’s allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq, per the Times of Israel. 

Ali Shamkhani, top advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was eliminated in an airstrike on Friday, according to Iranian state media. (REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/KI)

Lisa Daftari, Iran expert and Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief, told Fox News Digital the elimination of Shamkhani “signifies a strategic escalation aimed at destabilizing Iran’s regime at its core.”

“This precise strike highlights a dual objective—not only targeting its nuclear ambitions but signaling an unequivocal threat to the power structure itself. Shamkhani’s close ties to Khamenei amplify the gravity of the message, casting uncertainty and fear among the political elite,” said Daftari.

She added, “The calculated nature of this move underscores an effort to fracture the regime from within, leaving no figure immune from vulnerability. This marks a chilling precedent for Iran’s leadership.”

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Supreme Leader Khamenei entrusted Shamkhani and appointed him as commander of the Artesh Navy in 1989, where he helped rebuild Iran’s naval capabilities post-Iran-Iraq War, according to the group United Against Nuclear Iran.

The Artesh Navy was left disorganized and with minimal levels of equipment following the war. Most notably, the U.S. Navy made a large mark, taking out nearly half of Iran’s Navy during Operation Praying Mantis in 1988, according to the Strauss Center.

Iran focused on naval procurement, building up its force with patrol boats, anti-ship missiles, and fast attack craft warships.

Shamkhani influence reportedly increased following the death of Qassem Soleimani in 2020. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shamkhani sought out self-sufficiency in Iran’s military. 

Shamkhani’s rhetoric at the time echoed the Islamic Republic’s traditional messaging over the Persian Gulf, rejecting the presence of foreign warships and declaring “the capability to install missile sites” from the north to the south of the Gulf, according to a United Against Nuclear Iran profile of him.

He held the post of minister of defense from August 1997 until August 2005 and led Iran’s Supreme National Security Council from 2013 to 2023.

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In a rare interview, Shamkhani commented on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following the Trump administration’s withdrawal.

Supreme Leader Khamenei (pictured) entrusted Shamkhani and appointed him as commander of the Artesh Navy in 1989. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

When asked if he was one of the people in Iran who felt that signing the pact was a mistake, Shamkhani said, “Yes. … I’m just following the viewpoints of my nation, the people of Iran.”

Shamkhani’s influence reportedly increased following the death of Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

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Following Iran’s retaliation for Soleimani’s death, the U.S. sanctioned Shamkhani.

“The United States is targeting senior Iranian officials for their involvement and complicity in [the] ballistic missile strikes,” said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the time. 

Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.