Larijani, Soleimani targeted amid rising tensions
Conflicting reports have surfaced following Israeli claims that Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, was killed in an overnight airstrike on Tehran. The strike, announced by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, reportedly also targeted Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force. Iranian authorities have not confirmed either claim.
Israeli officials said the operation was based on precise intelligence locating Larijani in a residential hideout. Some reports suggest he may have been targeted alongside his son, with a senior Israeli official asserting there was “no chance he survived.” The strike was reportedly delayed by a day to verify his location.
If confirmed, Larijani’s death would represent one of the most significant blows to Iran’s leadership since the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei earlier in the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, which began on February 28.
In a televised statement, Katz said Larijani and Soleimani had been “eliminated overnight,” framing the operation as part of a broader campaign to dismantle Iran’s military and political leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed the military to continue targeting senior Iranian figures.
Larijani, 65, serves as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and is a long-time political insider. He has previously held positions as nuclear negotiator, culture minister, head of State broadcasting, and parliament speaker for over a decade. Born in Najaf in 1958, he comes from a prominent political family and holds a doctorate in Western philosophy.
He was last seen publicly during Quds Day rallies in Tehran, appearing alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, dismissing Israeli strikes as a sign of weakness. Just a day before the alleged strike, Larijani asserted that Iran would remain “steadfast” against the US and Israel and criticized what he called limited support from Muslim-majority nations during the conflict.
Hours after Israel’s announcement, Iranian state-linked media circulated a handwritten note attributed to Larijani commemorating Iranian sailors killed earlier this month. The note, lacking a timestamp, has not been independently verified. Separately, Iranian state media released a statement attributed to Larijani criticizing former US President Donald Trump and disputing claims about the authenticity of anti-US and anti-Israel demonstrations in Iran, further complicating assessments of his status.
The reported strike also targeted Soleimani, who has led the Basij since 2019. The Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been central to internal security, including suppressing protests in recent years.
Analysts caution against assuming a decisive impact on Iran’s political system. Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, described the strategy as a “game of whack-a-mole,” noting that leadership losses may not translate into systemic collapse, though the psychological and symbolic effects are significant.
The developments come amid escalating hostilities across Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Ahvaz. Iranian health officials report over 1,400 killed and more than 18,000 injured since the conflict began.
