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Israeli officials have announced that Ali Larijani, a high-ranking Iranian security official, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, were killed in recent Israeli airstrikes.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation programme, along with all those eliminated from the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell.”
Iranian authorities have confirmed the deaths of both men, along with Larijani’s son and bodyguards.
Larijani is the most senior Iranian official to be killed since the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died on February 28, the first day of strikes by Israeli and U.S. forces.
These events have triggered a wider conflict across the Middle East, with Iran retaliating by launching missiles and drones at Israel and Arab states hosting U.S. military facilities.
Oil prices have surged, as Iranian attacks have forced production shutdowns in Gulf states and disrupted exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) confirmed early Wednesday that Larijani was killed alongside his son, Morteza, an aide, and bodyguards.
“After a lifetime of struggle for the advancement of Iran and of the Islamic Revolution, he [Larijani]… answered the call of God,” the SNSC said in a statement broadcast on state television.
The announcement followed a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which claimed its air force had killed Larijani in a “precise strike” near Tehran the previous night.
“Following the elimination of Khamenei, Larijani consolidated his status as the de-facto leader of the Iranian regime and led the combat efforts against the State of Israel and countries across the region,” the IDF stated.
However, on Tuesday, Larijani’s social media accounts posted an undated, handwritten note that state media attributed to Tuesday.
The note commended the 84 “warriors” of the Iranian navy who were killed in a U.S. submarine attack on their warship off the coast of Sri Lanka this month. A ceremony was held on Tuesday evening to honor the sailors.
State TV also broadcast a similar message, attributed to Soleimani, the commander of the Basij Resistance Force, whose death was later confirmed by the Revolutionary Guards.
The Basij is a volunteer militia with an estimated one million members, often deployed to suppress dissent. It operates under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led the main repression operations,” the IDF stated.
The IDF also released video footage purporting to show one of several airstrikes targeting Basij checkpoints across Tehran on Tuesday.
Iranian media reported last week that several security personnel were killed in Israeli strikes on four checkpoints in the capital.
Larijani, a former IRGC commander, rose to prominence as the head of Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, a position he held for 10 years before becoming a security advisor to Khamenei in 2004.
He also served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator with the West and as Speaker of Iran’s parliament.
Once a leader of the hardline “principlist” faction, committed to the ideological principles of the Islamic revolution, Larijani was later described as a “moderate conservative.”
He was appointed secretary of the SNSC last August and is believed to have overseen the crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on protests that swept across Iran in December and January. Human rights activists estimate that at least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested.
He was also the late supreme leader’s representative on the council and was described by Iranian news outlets as an advisor to Khamenei.
Prior to the war, Khamenei reportedly tasked Larijani with developing a plan to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic in the event of a major attack by Israel and the U.S., including the assassination of its leadership. Larijani’s influence increased after Khamenei’s death.
Although Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, was chosen as his successor, he has not been seen in public since the start of the war, reportedly due to injuries sustained in the Israeli strike that killed his father.
In contrast, Larijani regularly responded to statements by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media and was filmed walking with supporters of the Islamic Republic at the Quds Day demonstration in Tehran last Friday.
While communication with individuals in Iran is difficult due to an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities, Iranians opposed to the establishment have sent text messages to BBC Persian expressing their approval of the deaths.
“I think it was a very important step because the decision-making brains must be shut down,” said a man in his 30s from Tehran.
Another man, residing in the nearby city of Karaj, stated, “When they die, you might not believe it, but I get so happy because they’re criminals and have so much blood on their hands.”
According to the Iranian government, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes in Iran since the start of the war, including 226 women and 204 children.
Israeli authorities report that 12 people have been killed in Iran’s missile attacks.
Sirens sounded across Israel on Tuesday following multiple Iranian missile barrages. While there were reports of fires, emergency services reported no injuries.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities reported that debris from an intercepted Iranian missile killed a Pakistani national in Abu Dhabi’s Bani Yas area. Oil loading at the port of Fujairah was also partially halted after a third drone attack in four days.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent asserts that Trump “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Iranians describe life during the war as marked by the constant threat of bombings and regime crackdowns.
U.S. allies have either resisted or expressed caution regarding Trump’s initial request to send ships to the crucial oil route.
FIFA appears to have ruled out moving Iran’s matches at this summer’s World Cup from the United States to Mexico.
This follows significant disruption to flights across the Middle East and UAE caused by the war in Iran.
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