Israel’s Minister of Defence, Israel Katz, says the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and the commander of the internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, have been killed.
Al Jazeera reports that Mr Katz said that the top Iranian security officials were killed by Israeli strikes. He announced this in a social media post on Tuesday.
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Mr Larijani’s death, if confirmed, will be the latest high-profile killing in the ongoing war with the US and Israel. It will follow the assassination of the former Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a joint US-Israel strike at his residence on 28 February.
“The leaders of the regime are being killed and their capabilities terminated.
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“Our army is working with strength to continue to hit and terminate the missile capabilities as well as the strategic infrastructure,” Mr Katz wrote.
Iran has yet to confirm the killings, but was also late to confirm Mr Khamenei’s killing and did so hours after Israel and the US announced it.
However, Iranian media, shortly before the Israeli announcement, released a handwritten message from Mr Larijani honouring 84 Iranian sailors, whose funeral is expected to take place on Tuesday.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the sailors were killed in a US attack on their naval vessel in international waters.
Mr Larijani is a key figure in the Iranian government, serving as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Last Friday, he was seen with President Masoud Pezeshkian at a pro-Palestinian Al-Quds Day rally in Tehran.
Mr Larijani is also regarded as an adviser to the late Supreme Leader.
He had also served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator between 2005 and 2007.
Speaking of his assassination, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, stated that “Iranians are safer” without him.
READ ALSO: Head of US Counterterrorism Center resigns, says war with Iran unjustified
The top Israeli official said Israel, by its action, is weakening Iran’s “repression mechanism”.
He also stated that the regime can only be toppled by the Iranian people, and with some external support.
Mr Soleimani, on the other hand, has been playing a key role, serving as the Commander of the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
He is known for organising pro-government activities and responding to domestic unrest, with the Basij often deployed to support law enforcement during protests.
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