Israel claims elimination of IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour; Khamenei's palace destroyed

TEL AVIV: Israel claimed to have eliminated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour in the airstrikes carried out in Tehran. Pakpour, one of Iran's most powerful men, had been the IRGC commander for just 260 days. He took over the position following the assassination of his predecessor, Hossein Salami. In January, Mohammad Pakpour had warned Israel and the US to avoid any miscalculations.

A senior Israeli official confirmed that the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Khamenei's palace was reportedly destroyed. It is rumoured that the supreme leader has been moved to a safer location. Satellite images emerged showing the destruction of Khamenei's palace complex.

Meanwhile, air traffic was hit hard by Iran's continued missile attacks on US military bases in the Gulf. Several flights from Kerala have been cancelled, and flights diverted. Flights from Nedumbassery airport have been cancelled en masse. Airlines have decided to suspend services as travel through Iranian airspace is dangerous. An Oman Airways flight that left for Muscat at 2.38 am was diverted to Nedumbassery midway due to safety reasons.