Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) eight senior commanders of its aerospace division were killed in Israel’s Friday airstrikes.

IRGC confirmed this in a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, IANS reported, quoting Xinhua. 

The slain commanders include Mahmoud Bagheri, Davoud Sheikhian, Mohammad-Bagher Taherpour, Mansour Safarpour, Masoud Tayyeb, Khosrow Hassani, Javad Jorsara, and Mohammad Aghajafari.

Israel, in the early hours of Friday, launched preemptive airstrikes on Iran, hitting its nuclear and military facilities. The operation, dubbed ‘Rising Lion,’ killed several of Iran’s top military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri; IRGC’s Chief Commander, Hossein Salami; Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Gholam-Ali Rashid; and Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were assassinated in the Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.

In retaliation, Iran launched several waves of missile and drone attacks against Israel.