The conflict between Israel and Iran rages on, with the countries trading deadly missiles throughout the weekend. The recent flare-up of military action started after Israel launched a “precise and integrated preemptive strike” against Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets in the early hours of Friday morning. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said in a statement that the strikes were carried out with the “aim of damaging the Iranian nuclear program and in response to the Iranian regime's ongoing aggression against Israel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the aim of the strikes, part of “Operation Rising Lion,” was to dismantle the Iranian nuclear programme, which has long been a cause of concern. "This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," he warned.

Iran has stayed true to its vow to retaliate, with the countries now engaged in a brutal conflict that shows no signs of easing.

World leaders have expressed concern about the escalating attacks, which have resulted in reports of fatalities among civilians on both side. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a grave warning to Iran, telling the Middle Eastern country there will be serious consequences if the U.S. is targeted in "any way, shape, or form" in retaliatory strikes.

Later on Sunday, Trump said that while the U.S. is not currently involved in the conflict, that could change in the future. "We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved," he told ABC.

The initial Israeli strikes targeted a number of locations across the Iranian capital, Tehran, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps HQ.

On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the deaths of three top Iranian commanders.

“We can now confirm that the Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets,” the statement read. “These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them.”

An additional update from the IDF confirmed that another commander of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) Air Force had been "eliminated." Scientists working on Iran’s nuclear development were also reported killed.

Additional high-profile deaths—among Iran's military and nuclear science personnel—have been reported since this latest round of the Israel-Iran conflict spiraled.

Here’s what to know about the figures reportedly killed so far by the Israeli strikes.

Military personnel and aides

Major General Hossein Salami

Gen. Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s main military force, was a key figure in the political sphere. It’s understood he reported directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Salami rose to power around six years ago, and during his time as Major General of the IRGC, he repeatedly threatened Israel and the U.S. with military action.

After the 2020 death of Qasem Soleimani, the head of IRGC Qud’s Force, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike on a base in Baghdad, Salami said: “If they [Israel and the U.S.] threaten our commanders, none of their commanders will find a safe place” to live. Days after the death of Soleimani, Iran launched a number of missiles at American military facilities in Iraq, with no casualties reported.

Khamenei has announced that Salami will be replaced by Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri

Mohammad Bagheri served as the Chief of Staff to Iran’s armed forces, a position he acquired in 2016 which saw him oversee an estimated 610,000 personnel. He was the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Born in 1960, Bagheri was head of “the most senior military body in Iran, which implements policy and monitors and coordinates activities within the armed forces,” according to U.S. Treasury documents detailing sanctions against the general in 2019.

Bagheri will be replaced by Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as announced by Ayatollah Khamenei.

General Gholamali Rashid

Rashid was confirmed dead after the airstrikes in Tehran, alongside his son. He was deputy commander in chief of the armed forces, and commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, a branch of the IRGC.

Rashid was key in the operations of Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme, mostly consisting of the use of drones in warfare.

In February, the general vowed to retaliate against any strikes on Iran’s nuclear program after reports of plans from Israel and the U.S. to strike nuclear targets in Iran by “mid-2025.”

Rashid is set to be replaced by Major General Ali Shadmani as head of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh

Ali Hajizadeh was the commander of the IRGC.

Upon announcing his death, the IDF said Hajizadeh "had assembled in an underground command center to prepare for an attack on the State of Israel."

The IRGC described the general as “a prominent and influential figure of the resistance front and a symbol of development, innovation, and might in the defense and missile spheres.”

Ali Shamkhani

Ali Shamkhani was a close aid to Ayatollah Khamenei, and part of the Iranian delegation which secured the restoration of diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia in March 2023.

Despite being replaced as Iran’s top security official just two months after securing this diplomatic deal with Saudi Arabia, Shamkhani remained a key adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader.

In May, he said that Iran would be willing to sign a nuclear deal with Trump, subject to conditions that Iran could still enrich certain levels of uranium for energy use.

“It’s still possible. If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations… It can lead to a better situation in the near future,” Shamkhani said, regarding possible talks with the U.S. during Trump’s three-country tour of the Middle East.

Gen. Gholamreza Mehrabi

Gen. Gholamreza Mehrabi served as the deputy intelligence chief of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Gen. Mehdi Rabbani

Gen. Mehdi Rabbani was a top-ranking official and served as the deputy commander of operations for the Iranian Armed Forces.

Nuclear Scientists

On Saturday, the IDF reported it had "eliminated" nine senior scientists and experts responsible for advancing the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program. "Their elimination is a significant blow to the regime’s ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction," a statement read.

The scientists listed were: Fereydoun Abbasi, an expert in nuclear engineering and the former head of Iran’s atomic energy, who also served as an MP (Member of Parliament). Mohammad Mahdi, a physics expert. Akbar Motalebi Zadeh, a chemical engineering specialist. Saeed Barji, a materials engineering specialist. Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani, an expert in nuclear engineering. Ali Bakhouei Katirimi, an expert in mechanics. And three physics experts: Amir Hassan Fakhahi, Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr, and Mansour Asgari

Another scientist previously reported as killed by is Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a theoretical physicist and a key expert involved in the AMAD plan, Iran’s significant programme to advance nuclear capabilities launched in the early 2000s. Tehranchi was also the President of Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Seyed Amir Hossein Feqhi has also been reported as killed. Feqhi was deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, s well as on the faculty for Nuclear Engineering at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.