Iranian state media has confirmed the death of Brigadier General Masoud Zare, the commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense College, in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory.
The Mehr News Agency, Iran’s state-run outlet, reported the elimination of the senior officer who was widely credited by Iranian military circles with orchestrating the downing of a US F-15 fighter jet earlier this week.
The strike marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, representing a direct blow to Iran’s air defense command structure.
Zare, who was the head of the army’s Air Defence College in Shahin Shahr, was killed during the American and Israeli bombing campaign that has intensified over the past 24 hours. His death comes just days after Iranian forces successfully shot down the American warplane, an event Tehran had celebrated as a major propaganda victory.
The US has not officially commented on the strike, but the precision elimination of the high-value target demonstrates the coalition’s continued air superiority and ability to strike deep within Iranian territory.
