News - Middle East: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami have been martyred in Israeli aggression that also targeted scientists and civilians.

Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the central headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, was also martyred in one of the attacks which came early Friday.

Veteran nuclear scientists Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi were martyred in separate attacks.

Initial reports named Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Feqhi and Motalebizadeh as other nuclear scientists martyred in the attacks.

The attacks were first reported around 3:00 a.m. local time on Friday in the capital, Tehran, followed by a series of explosions in several other provinces across the country.

Videos circulating on social media show widespread destruction in residential areas of Tehran and other regions, the result of what has been described as indiscriminate Israeli aggression.

The Israeli regime confirmed responsibility for the attacks, claiming to have targeted sites in Natanz, Khorramabad, Khondab, and several other locations.

The IRNA news agency, citing a security source, reported that Iran is preparing a "decisive response" to the latest act of Israeli terrorism against the Islamic Republic.

The aggression comes amid escalating tensions in the region, fueled by the warmongering rhetoric of Israeli regime officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reportedly, US President Donald Trump had approved the latest Israeli aggression despite ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

According to sources, the sixth round of talks scheduled for Sunday is now likely to be canceled.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a statement, condemned the aggression and vowed Iran's severe retaliation against the Tel Aviv regime.

“In the early hours of today, the Zionist regime once again revealed its evil and bloodstained hand by committing a crime on our beloved soil, further exposing its malicious nature through attacks on residential areas. The regime must now await a harsh punishment,” read the statement.

Source: Press TV