Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran’s “de facto leader,” Ali Larijani, was killed in an airstrike. Israeli and international media reported the claim on March 17, while noting that Iranian confirmation had not yet appeared at the time of reporting.
“Just now, the Chief of the General Staff informed me that National Security Council Secretary Larijani and the head of the Basij were eliminated overnight and have joined the head of Khamenei’s annihilation program and all the villains of the ‘axis of evil’ in the depths of hell,” Katz said. Reports identified Larijani as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Ali Larijani is the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He previously served as the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, on the Council. He was responsible for negotiations on key national security issues, including the nuclear program. Media outlets have described him as one of the most influential figures in Iranian politics following the killing of Khamenei.
Earlier today, the Israel Defense Forces reported the killing of Iranian commander Gholamreza Soleimani, who had led the Basij force for the past six years.
“The commander of the Basij force has been eliminated. Under Soleimani’s leadership, the Basij directed major repressive operations inside Iran, using brutal violence, mass arrests, and force against civilian demonstrators,” the IDF said.
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five branches.
