Israel Says It K!lled Iran’s Top Security Chief Ali Larijani Overnight

According to reports, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that Israel’s military carried out an overnight operation that killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani. The strike also reportedly killed General Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s volunteer Basij force.

Iranian state media has yet to confirm either death, but Larijani’s office said it would issue a statement shortly. Katz described the operation as targeting senior figures in Iran’s security establishment, referring to them as part of what he called “the axis of evil.”

Ali Larijani, born June 3, 1958, hailed from one of Iran’s most prominent political families. He previously served as parliamentary speaker from 2008 to 2020 and as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Larijani was also a senior policy adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, particularly on nuclear strategy during talks with the Trump administration.

In January, the US Treasury sanctioned Larijani, citing his role in coordinating the government’s crackdown on nationwide protests that left thousands dead and tens of thousands detained. Larijani’s brother, Sadeq Larijani, also holds a senior position as head of Iran’s judiciary.

Reports indicate that Larijani was blocked from pursuing the presidency in 2021 after advocating a pragmatic approach that supported Iran’s return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Meanwhile, Larijani’s office published a handwritten letter in Farsi honoring the crew of the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate sunk by a US submarine, without addressing the reports of his death.