Israel Says Iran's Top Security Official Larijani Killed in Last Night's Airstrike

Ali Larijani, Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and a key security figure, was reported to have been killed in an Israeli military targeted airstrike, according to Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on March 17 (local time).

Ali Larijani, Advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran and Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council
[Image Source=Yonhap News Reuters]

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Minister Katz stated in a press release that "Larijani was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike last night."

The Israeli Ministry of Defense reported that during a battlefield assessment meeting on the morning of the same day, Minister Katz said, "Larijani and the commander of the Basij militia were eliminated overnight and have departed to the depths of hell, joining all the members of the 'axis of evil' who have already been eliminated, including Khamenei."

Previously, local media had reported that the Israeli military conducted a targeted airstrike against Larijani. Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israeli military, also stated at the battlefield assessment meeting that "the operation last night resulted in a significant elimination achievement that could affect the outcome of this war and the mission of the Israeli military."

The Israeli military further announced that Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander-in-chief of the Basij militia, was also eliminated in the previous day's airstrike.

The Israeli military claimed that "the Basij militia is an armed organization of Iran's terrorist regime," and that "under Soleimani's command, the Basij militia carried out bloody crackdowns on protests inside Iran and committed severe violence and indiscriminate arrests against civilians."

Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed Larijani's death. Local Iranian media reported a photo of his handwritten note mourning the dead crew members of the Iranian destroyer Dena, which sank following a US attack in Sri Lankan waters on the 4th of this month. According to these reports, Secretary General Larijani wrote the note on the 16th, one day before the funeral for the crew members.

If the Israeli claims are true, Iran has lost several key war-time leaders in rapid succession, following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an explosion on February 28.

After Khamenei's death, Iran formed a provisional leadership committee, but the person who had effectively overseen national security and foreign negotiations, thereby supporting the regime, was Secretary General Larijani of the Supreme National Security Council.

The Basij militia, which Soleimani-who was reportedly eliminated alongside Larijani-led, is a subordinate organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. It is widely deployed throughout Iranian society and is often called 'the regime's tentacles.' The Basij acts as a quasi-authority engaged in protest suppression, internal intelligence gathering and surveillance, as well as serving as religious police. In times of war, it also functions as a reserve force supporting the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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