PM: Move aimed at ‘destabilizing’ regime in hope it's ousted

Israel says Iran’s ‘de facto leader’ Ali Larijani, Basij force chief killed overnight

Iran publishes handwritten note from Larijani on unrelated matter in ostensible, failed attempt to show he’s alive; doesn’t comment on apparent death of paramilitary commander Soleimani

Top Iranian official Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight, Israel’s military and top leaders announced on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the commander of Iran’s oppressive Basij force had been killed in a separate overnight strike as well.

Tehran did not confirm or deny either death, but released an undated, unrelated handwritten statement from Larijani shortly after Katz’s announcement.

Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was targeted in a strike carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets while at a hideout apartment in the capital, Tehran.

The military said that Larijani “served as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime,” after the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.

“For years, Larijani was considered one of the most senior and veteran figures in the leadership of the Iranian terror regime,” the IDF said, noting his close relationship with Khamenei.

After the supreme leader’s death, Larijani “established his position as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime and led the fighting against the State of Israel and countries in the region,” the IDF added.

It noted that “as part of his role, Larijani led the political-security coordination of the Iranian terror regime and was involved in directing its international activity.”

The military also said that during the wave of protests in Iran earlier this year, “Larijani led enforcement and violent suppression actions and even personally oversaw the massacre carried out against Iranian demonstrators.”

Separately, the IDF said it had killed the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij Force, Gholamreza Soleimani, along with his deputy and several other top officials within the paramilitary force.

It said Soleimani and the other Basij officials were targeted while at a tent camp that was recently established by the paramilitary force near the capital, after many of its headquarters were struck by Israel over the past two weeks.

“During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led the main repression operations, employing severe violence, widespread arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators,” the military said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said Larijani had been killed, stating that it was part of Israel’s goal to “destabilize” the Iranian regime in its ongoing aerial assault with the United States, in an effort to give the Iranian people “the opportunity to remove” the regime from power.

“This will not happen all at once; it will not happen easily. But if we persist, we will give them the opportunity to take their fate into their own hands,” the premier said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz also reacted, with his office publishing a video statement of him celebrating that Larijani and Soleimani had “joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell.”

Iran did not immediately comment on either death but released a photo of a handwritten statement from Larijani regarding the funeral of Iranian sailors killed in the US strike on the Iris Dena on March 4.

Iranian state media had generated anticipation that the statement would contradict Israel’s claims, but the statement neither addressed nor disproved them.

“The martyrdom of the brave members of the Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic in Dena is part of the sacrifices of the proud nation that has emerged in this time of struggle against international oppressors,” Larijani wrote in what may have been his final missive.

“Their memory will always remain in the heart of the Iranian nation, and these martyrdoms will strengthen the foundations of the Army of the Islamic Republic for years to come within the structure of the armed forces,” the statement added.

The statement was also posted to Larijani’s X account, although that did not disprove Israel’s assertion, given that Khamenei’s X account also remained active following his death on February 28 until Tehran admitted that he had been killed.

Sanctioned by the US

Larijani hails from one of Iran’s most famous political families. A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, he was appointed to advise the senior Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration.

He was sanctioned by the US Treasury in January as Tehran violently suppressed nationwide protests. It identified him as being “responsible for coordinating the response to the protests on behalf of the supreme leader of Iran.”

“Larijani was one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people,” the US Treasury said at the time.

The nationwide protests in January and the violent crackdown that followed killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.

His death would be another in a series of severe blows to the leadership of the Islamic Republic, whose losses until now have included 86-year-old Khamenei, IRGC head Mohammad Pakpour, and top security adviser Ali Shamkhani, among others.

The IDF estimated last week that between 4,000 and 5,000 Iranian soldiers and commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes in Iran since the start of the war.

Separately, the military said on Tuesday that a recent airstrike in Iran had targeted top Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Akram al-Ajouri and other top officials in the terror group.

Al-Ajouri is believed to have been killed in the Wednesday strike, but the military said it was still working to confirm this.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir alluded both to al-Ajouri and to the strikes targeting Larijani and Soleimani in remarks during an assessment on Tuesday morning.

“Significant elimination achievements were also recorded overnight, with the potential to impact the campaign’s achievements and the IDF’s mission,” Zamir said. “This is in addition to eliminations carried out in recent days in Iran against external elements, also linked to the Palestinian arena.”

He said that the “senior operatives involved in terrorist activity from Gaza and from Judea and Samaria (West Bank)” were hiding in a safe house in Tehran when they were struck.

Agencies contributed to this report.