Iranian Official, Ali Larijani Killed In Israeli Airstrike

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed that Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, was eliminated in a targeted IDF airstrike inside Iran last night.

NaijaChoice News reports that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out the precision operation, describing Larijani as a central figure in Tehran’s decision-making machinery. In a separate strike, the IDF also took out Gholamreza Soleimani, the longtime commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force.

Speaking during a morning security assessment, Katz left no room for doubt. “Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,” he stated, according to his office.

The development marks the latest high-profile blow in the escalating Israel-Iran war, which intensified after the joint US-Israeli assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month. Larijani, 67, a former Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and veteran nuclear negotiator, was reappointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in August 2025. He had emerged as one of the regime’s most powerful operators, often viewed as the de-facto leader steering Iran through the crisis.

Gholamreza Soleimani, who headed the Basij for six years, oversaw the volunteer militia’s role in cracking down on protests and internal dissent. Israeli sources described both men as key architects of Iran’s security and repression apparatus.

Iran is yet to issue an official confirmation of the killings. Some local media hinted at possible upcoming statements from Larijani’s circle, but silence from Tehran so far has only heightened speculation.

The strikes form part of a broader Israeli campaign targeting Iranian leadership, nuclear sites and military infrastructure following Khamenei’s death. Katz has repeatedly warned that any successor to the late Supreme Leader would also be treated as a “definite target.”

Analysts warn the fresh assassinations risk pushing the conflict into a more dangerous phase, with direct implications for regional stability and global energy supplies. Oil prices, already jittery from earlier disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, could see renewed volatility as Tehran weighs its response.