American media claimed that around 40 Iranian officials, including Iran's Defense Minister, were killed in the attack.

On February 28th, the American Columbia Broadcasting Company reported, citing two anonymous American officials, that around 40 Iranian officials, including the Iranian Minister of Defense, were killed in attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. The report stated that these officials are believed to include Iranian Minister of Defense Aziz Na'sirzadeh and Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohamad Pakpour. It is currently unclear whether they were attacked at the same location or at multiple locations. Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement saying that the Israeli Air Force launched strikes on hundreds of military targets within Iran on the morning of February 28th, including multiple locations where "Iranian senior defense officials were gathered." Aziz Na'sirzadeh, Mohamad Pakpour, and Secretary of the Iranian Defense Committee Ali Shamkhani were among the six individuals killed in the initial Israeli strikes.