Iranian state media reported on Saturday evening the killing of Ali Shamkhani, the top advisoer to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Israeli strikes on a "sensitive military center" in western Iran on Friday.

Later on Saturday, Iran's Tourism and Cultural Heritage Ministry put out a statement apologizing for Shamkhani's inclusion in a banner posted outside the ministry's offices naming him alongside other killed Iranian commanders, noting he was "mistakenly" added to the banner and that it would take action against the "perpetrators of this negligence."

The Ministry did not explicitly state whether Shamkhani was still alive.

Shamkhani was the latest in a line of top military advisors, commanders, and other personnel killed in Israeli strikes on Iranian targets since early Friday morning. 

Shamkhani served as one of Iran's top military officials for decades, serving as defense minister between 1997 and 2005 and as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council from 2013 to 2023.

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet prepares to take off ahead of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, June 13, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An Israeli Air Force fighter jet prepares to take off ahead of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, June 13, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Other senior targets confirmed to be killed by Israel since the launch of Operation Rising Lion include Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS), and Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Also killed were Gholam-Ali Rashid, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC's Air Defense arm.

Samkhani was a key figure in Iran's security echelon

Samkhani, a former admiral in the IRGC, was a key figure in Iran's security echelon for many years. 

He was a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard from the early days of the revolution and has been serving as an adviser to Khamenei for decades, London-based Iran International reported.

This is a developing story.