Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that the Israeli military successfully eliminated Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and one of Tehran’s most senior security figures, during airstrikes overnight.
In a statement, Katz confirmed that Larijani was killed alongside Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij militia, a paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strikes represent a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, which has intensified since late February following U.S.-Israeli actions that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials.
“The prime minister and I have instructed the IDF to continue hunting down the leadership of the regime of terror and oppression in Iran,” Katz said, adding that Larijani and Soleimani had now “joined Khamenei… in the depths of hell.” He described the operation as part of an accelerating effort to dismantle Iran’s remaining top leadership, wrote Clash Report.
Larijani, appointed SNSC secretary in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian, also served as the representative of the late Supreme Leader Khamenei on the council. A veteran politician, he previously held the position of speaker of Iran’s parliament (Majles) from 2008 to 2020 and was Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator from 2005 to 2007. Often described as a “moderate conservative,” Larijani came from a prominent political family; his brother Sadegh Larijani chairs the Expediency Council, a key body arbitrating disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.
The killing of such a central figure in Iran’s strategic decision-making could significantly impact Tehran’s regional policies, military operations, and any potential nuclear negotiations amid the broader war.
Hellbound and Down 