The daughter of a top Iranian military commander assassinated by Israel last month said her father was killed by Israeli agents in a hot pursuit in Tehran and not an airstrike as originally reported.
“Some might think my father was killed in an airstrike, but it was a direct chase with the Israelis,” Mahdieh Shadmani said in a video posted on Instagram on Monday.
The assertion, if confirmed, would further underscore Iranian security failures which allowed Israel to track and kill hundreds of security personnel in a 12-day war last month.
Ali Shadmani was declared dead on June 17, reportedly from wounds sustained from an Israeli air attack in Tehran.
As commander of the Islamic Republic's war room, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Shadmani was effectively in charge if Iran's war effort.
Shadmani was killed only four days after assuming the post after his predecessor Gholam Ali Rashid was assassinated in an Israeli strike.
Mahdieh Shadmani had earlier disputed official Iranian assertions which blamed messaging applications like WhatsApp for exposing locations that led to Israeli assassinations.
“My father’s location changed every few hours. He carried no smart devices or phones. Security protocols were followed, yet during his time commanding the war headquarters, he was repeatedly targeted for assassination by Israel,” she said on July 4.
Her comments have sparked backlash among supporters of the Islamic Republic. One anonymous user on X said the families of those killed during the 12-day war with Israel “should watch their mouth” and that “some control is needed over their speech.”
Several official narratives regarding the scope and consequences of Israel’s strikes on Iran have come under growing scrutiny.
On July 22, an Iranian political analyst said there had been widespread sabotage of Iran's missile launchers and air defense systems by Israel.
Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 29 Israeli civilians.
