Ali Shamkhani, a high-ranking adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, recounted on Iranian television Sunday how he survived an Israeli strike that targeted his residence on the first day of the war between Iran and Israel, stating that he was trapped under the rubble for three hours before being rescued.
“I was mainly injured internally; my ribs were broken,” the official said on Iranian state television.
“At first, I thought it was an earthquake. I was trapped under the rubble for three hours,” he said during the interview, where he was seen using a special inhalation device to help rehabilitate his lungs — a lasting result of his injuries.
“I was lying in bed. My phone was on the floor, a bit away from me. My family was asleep in the next room. I was dozing off, about to wake up for morning prayer, when suddenly the entire room collapsed on top of me,” he said.
Shamkhani also recalled the moments he survived under the rubble. “My room had collapsed two or three stories downward. I began clearing the rubble from my legs,” he said.
The Iranian general said his wife and son were also injured during the attack, adding that he was unable to speak clearly at the time due to oxygen pressure.
Shamkhani declined to say why he was targeted but said, “Israel knows why it attacked me—and so do I. But I can’t say.”
Shamkhani previously served as Iran’s navy commander, defense minister and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
He said there is no house or office left for him to stay or work and that the interview was conducted at a café.
The interview came hours after Shamkhani made his first public appearance Saturday at the funerals of Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders killed in the war with Israel.
At the funeral, Shamakhani was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane and surrounded by his bodyguards and members of his family, according to an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel.
Initial reports following the Israeli attacks on Iran claimed Shamkhani had been killed, while others said he was seriously wounded. Last week, the Iranian general confirmed he had survived.
“I’ve almost died three times—once before the Revolution, once during the Iran-Iraq War, and now this time,” Shamkhani said.
The Iranian official said, “All our commanders—our minds and muscle—had been targeted, yet within 12 hours, they were replaced, and the operation began. It wasn’t improvised. It was pre-planned.”
Shamkhani then emphasized the need for constant vigilance and readiness to counter enemy threats, while urging further advancement of the nation’s military capabilities.
He stressed that Iran’s leadership has been fully prepared for any scenario, noting that all operations were carried out according to pre-established plans.
This preparedness reflected the country’s robust military and security posture against any form of escalation or infiltration, he said.
Last week, Shamkhani, said in a post on X that “even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain.”
He added, “With legitimate defense right, political and operational initiative is now with the side that plays smart, avoids blind strikes. Surprises will continue!”
