NEW DELHI: Israel announced on Tuesday that it had eliminated two top Iranian security officials—Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij militia—in targeted strikes, marking a major escalation in the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed Larijani’s death, stating that regime leaders are being systematically neutralized alongside their missile and strategic infrastructure capabilities, though Iran has yet to issue any official confirmation or denial.
The claims surfaced as Iranian state media shared a handwritten note from Larijani mourning 84 sailors killed in a recent US attack on their naval vessel, raising questions about its timing and intent as potential proof of life. Larijani, a veteran political heavyweight who once spearheaded nuclear talks with the West and served as parliamentary speaker, was last seen publicly on Friday at Tehran’s Al-Quds Day rally alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian. If verified, his elimination would rank as the highest-profile assassination since the war’s outset on February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and family members.
Katz declared on social media, “Our army is working with strength to continue hitting and terminating missile capabilities as well as strategic infrastructure,” framing the operations as a decisive blow to Tehran’s command structure. In a Monday message, Larijani had rallied Muslim-majority nations against “treacherous aggression” from the US and Israel, invoking religious duty and justifying Iran’s regional strikes while denying ambitions of domination. He questioned the neutrality of certain Islamic governments, warning of a binary choice in the conflict.
The reported killings come amid widespread US-Israeli attacks across Iran, displacing up to 3.2 million people per UN estimates and hitting cities like Tehran, Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Shiraz. Al Jazeera analysts noted that while such losses would be hailed in Israel as a strategic triumph, they do not signal the Iranian regime’s collapse. Gulf states have condemned Iran’s counterstrikes as sovereignty violations, with global energy markets on edge over disruptions in key waterways. As the war intensifies, diplomatic channels appear silent, with Tehran’s response eagerly awaited
