TEHRAN (Tasnim) Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei appointed Iranian Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi as the new Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

In a decree released on June 13, Ayatollah Khamenei, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, assigned Major General Mousavi to replace Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, who was martyred in an Israeli military strike in the early hours of Friday.

In the decree announcing the designation, the Leader paid tribute to Major General Baqeri for his glorious and dignified martyrdom at the hands of the evil Zionist regime and highlighted the new commanders admirable services and valuable experiences.

Ayatollah Khamenei also called on Major General Mousavi to push for the enhancement of the Iranian Armed Forces defensive and security capabilities and preparedness and for popular mobilization in order to allow for timely and effective responses to any type of threats at any level against the Islamic Republic of Iran with revolutionary action.

The Israeli regime attacked a number of residential neighborhoods of Tehran and locations in other parts of Iran in the early hours of Friday.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Baqeri, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Irans Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, and at least six Iranian nuclear scientists have been martyred in the strikes.

Ayatollah Khamenei has warned the Zionist regime that it will receive a severe punishment for the strike, saying, With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.