The Israeli military said Tuesday that a targeted overnight strike killed Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) referred to Larijani as the “effective” leader of Iran since the war began.
Larijani was a close adviser of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed last month. He was responsible for Iran’s military response to the joint U.S.-Israeli operation launched on February 28. The IDF also accused Larijani of overseeing the regime’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests.
“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” the IDF said in a social media post. “During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors.”
Iran has not commented on the status of Larijani, but a statement honoring Iranian navy “martyrs” was posted to Larijani’s X account shortly before the IDF said he had been killed.
Last week, Larijani threatened President Donald Trump after the president warned Iran he would strike the country harder if it blocked oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Ashura-loving nation of Iran does not fear your paper threats,” Larijani posted on social media. “ Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch out for yourself—lest you be eliminated!”
In January, the Treasury Department sanctioned Larijani over Iran’s response to the anti-government protests.
In a separate strike, the IDF said it killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary unit under Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years,” the IDF said. “Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.”
Soleimani was heavily involved in the crackdown on protesters that killed thousands of Iranians.
An Israeli official told Fox News that the U.S. military was involved in the strikes targeting Soleimani.
“This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort,” the official said. “A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands.”
The Basij unit has been sanctioned by the State Department for human rights abuses in Iran. The group has also been accused of recruiting child soldiers.
.png)
.png)
