Israel says it killed Iran’s de facto leader Ali Larijani in Tehran strike
Strike in Tehran also said to eliminate Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani.
Israel killed Iranian Supreme National Security Council head Ali Larijani, the de facto leader of the country since Ali Khamenei was killed, as well as the commander of the Basij paramilitary force, in an air strike on Monday night, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
“I was informed that Ali Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated, joining Ali Khamenei, the architect of Israel's destruction plan, along with other thwarted members of the so-called ‘axis of evil,’ in the depths of hell," said Katz. "The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to continue pursuing the leadership of the regime of terror and oppression in Iran."
The IDF said earlier Tuesday that it had eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij force, in a precise airstrike in Tehran, marking one of the most senior figures Israel has publicly claimed to kill inside Iran.
According to the military, the strike was carried out on Monday by the Israeli Air Force based on intelligence. Soleimani had served as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years. There was no immediate confirmation from Iranian authorities.
The Basij forces are part of Iran’s internal security apparatus and have played a central role in suppressing protests. During periods of unrest, including in recent waves of demonstrations, forces under Soleimani’s command led repression operations involving arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.
Separately, Israel struck an underground compound in the city of Qom in recent days where senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures were believed to be present, including deputy leader Akram al-Ajouri and the head of the terror group’s military wing, Mohammed al-Hindi, according to a source familiar with the details.
