Israel Says Tehran Strike Killed Ali Larijani, Basij Commander
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By: ATN News Team & Newswires
New York, NY: Israel said Tuesday that overnight airstrikes in Tehran killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, in what would be one of the most consequential blows to the Islamic Republic’s leadership since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month. Iranian state media had not immediately confirmed Larijani’s death. (AP News) Ali Larijani
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani were “eliminated” in the strikes. The Israeli military later said on X that Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had been killed. (AP News)
If confirmed, Larijani’s death would remove one of the most senior Iranian officials still publicly associated with wartime decision-making after Khamenei’s killing. Reuters reported earlier Tuesday that Israeli officials said Larijani had been targeted, though his fate was initially unclear. (Reuters)
Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator and former speaker of parliament, had reemerged in recent months as a central figure in Iran’s security establishment. He was last seen publicly at Quds Day events in Tehran days before the reported strike. (Reuters)
Gholamreza Soleimani, who headed the Basij paramilitary force, was among the most prominent figures tied to Iran’s domestic crackdown apparatus. AP reported that Israel said both men were killed in the same wave of attacks. (AP News)
The reported killings came during another night of widening regional attacks. Iran launched fresh missile and drone strikes at Israel and Gulf targets, while Israel said it carried out new operations against military and security sites in Tehran. (AP News)
In the United Arab Emirates, debris from an intercepted missile killed a Pakistani national in Abu Dhabi, according to Reuters. Separate reporting said the UAE intercepted 10 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones overnight, while operations at the Shah gas field remained suspended after earlier attacks. (Reuters)
The war has also intensified in Lebanon. Reuters and other outlets reported continued Israeli strikes and mounting casualties as fighting with Hezbollah expands and displacement rises. (Reuters)
For Israel, the message is clear: keep pressing Iran’s command structure while Tehran is already under strain. For Iran, the immediate challenge is not only military retaliation, but preserving a chain of authority that still looks coherent from the outside. If Larijani is confirmed dead, that task gets harder.