Military correspondent Doron Kadosh explains the nature of the important role played by Ali Shadmani (who was killed tonight) as the Chief of Staff of the Khatem al-Anbiya Command:
As a lesson from the Iran-Iraq War, the Iranians understood that it was necessary to bring order to their two armies - the Iranian Army (from the days of the Shah) and the Revolutionary Guards (established after the revolution and the rise of the ayatollahs to power).
The lesson learned was to establish an emergency command that, in the event of war, would oversee both armies and coordinate between them, because tensions that exist during routine times cannot be handled in an emergency, and a single entity is required to make the decisions and command the campaign.
That is why the emergency headquarters was established - named "Khatem al-Anbiya" (which is a nickname in Islam for the Prophet Muhammad - the Seal of the Prophets, i.e. the last prophet) - and this is the headquarters that in times of war takes command of the entire campaign and commands both the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian army.
Ali Shadamani, who was killed last night in Tehran, was the commander of the Hatem al-Anbiya Command, meaning the supreme commander of the campaign, who replaced General Rashid, who was killed in the opening blow. When Supreme Leader Khamenei appointed him to the position last Friday, he was essentially expressing confidence in him to be the chief of staff of the campaign.