Israel carried out strikes on two senior Iranian figures on Tuesday—Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said that Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the paramilitary Basij, had been killed.
According to Israeli officials, following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the early days of the war, Larijani effectively ran the country for ten days—until his son, Mojtaba, was declared his successor. One Israeli official claims Soleimani was responsible for suppressing protests, and that his removal is intended to create conditions for a possible popular uprising.
Israel Katz said Israel would continue its “hunt for the leadership of Iran’s terrorist and repressive regime and will repeatedly cut off the head of the octopus, preventing it from growing back”.
Iranian authorities have not confirmed the deaths of any of the officials mentioned. After the strike, a handwritten message dated March 17 appeared on Larijani’s Telegram channel, commemorating fallen sailors.
According to an Israeli source, Larijani was targeted while in a shelter in Tehran. Soleimani, it is claimed, was struck along with several close associates at an improvised headquarters.
One Israeli official described Larijani as “the most influential figure, effectively running Iran”, while noting that the extent of Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries remains unclear. “This is a continuation of the elimination of Ali Khamenei. Larijani was his chief confidant. He was a very bad man who had to die,” the source said.
Another Israeli official claims Larijani’s influence waned after Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed as the new Supreme Leader—Larijani had backed alternative candidates. In recent days, he was also said to be part of a group advocating the start of peace negotiations with the United States. At the same time, the opposing camp, aligned with Mojtaba Khamenei’s supporters—including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi—insisted on continuing the war.