At least 20 senior Iranian commanders, including the head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the commander of its Aerospace Force, were killed in Israeli strikes on Iran on Friday, two regional sources told Reuters.

The high-profile deaths mark one of the most dangerous flashpoints in West Asia in recent years.

Among those killed was Gen. Hossein Salami, chief of the IRGC, confirmed by Iranian state television.

Salami, a key figure in Iran’s military leadership, had long been a central figure in the country’s confrontational stance against the United States and Israel.

His death is seen as a severe blow to Iran’s leadership.

Also confirmed dead is Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace force and overseer of Iran’s powerful ballistic missile program.

Iranian state television acknowledged his death on Friday afternoon, shortly after the Israeli's announcement of deaths.

Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was also killed in Friday’s strikes, which hit multiple cities including the capital Tehran, according to Iranian state television.

Mohammad Pakpour, the newly named chief of the Revolutionary Guards, warned that the "gates of hell" would open on Israel, according to Tehran Times.

Ahead of the strikes, Israeli Mossad commandos carried out a series of covert operations inside Iran, according to an Israeli security source.

These included the deployment of precision-guided weapons near Iranian surface-to-air missile sites, the use of advanced technologies to disable Iranian air defence systems and the establishment of an attack-drone base near Tehran.

Iranian news agency NourNews reported that Israeli strikes on Tehran’s residential areas killed 78 people and injured 329 others.

Two Israeli security officials, speaking anonymously to AP, said Mossad smuggled precision weapons into central Iran in advance of the strikes.

These were placed near surface-to-air missile systems and mounted on vehicles. They were activated as the attacks began to target Iran’s defences.

The officials also claimed a drone launch base had been established within Iran and used on Friday to strike missile launchers near Tehran.

There has been no official comment on these covert operations and independent verification of the claims remains unavailable.

With inputs from agencies.