US-Israeli airstrikes have resulted in significant casualties within Iran’s leadership, including the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, marking a pivotal moment nearly three weeks into the conflict.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Iran is facing severe destruction. In a statement on the Israeli army’s Persian-language social media, the Iranian leadership was likened to a “collapsing house of cards.”

Here’s a summary of the key Iranian figures who have been killed in the ongoing war:

• Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Supreme Leader Khamenei, who had been at the helm since 1989, was killed in a targeted strike in Tehran on February 28, during a meeting of senior officials. The attack reportedly also claimed the lives of his daughter-in-law, daughter, and at least one grandchild.

• National security council chief Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani, a long-standing figure in the Iranian political system despite not being a cleric, was another major loss for the Islamic Republic following Khamenei’s death. Larijani was killed on March 17 in an Israeli airstrike in the Tehran area, which also resulted in the deaths of several family members.

• Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour

Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, formerly the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces, became the leader of the force tasked with preserving the revolution in June 2025, succeeding the late Hossein Salami. Pakpour was killed on the first day of the conflict.

• Intelligence Minister Esmael Khatib

A cleric, Khatib was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on March 18. Minister of intelligence since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.

• Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Nasirzadeh had served as defence minister since 2024. He was also killed in a strike on the first day of the war.

• Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani

Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests. He was killed in an airstrike on March 17.

• Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini

Naini was killed at dawn Friday in what the Guards described as a ‘cowardly’ attack by the United States and Israel. Just before his death was confirmed the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Naini as saying Iran’s missile production deserved a “perfect score” and was continuing despite the war.