Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday the killing of Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, while Iranian media suggested he would release a statement “within minutes.”
Israeli media outlets reported that the IDF had targeted Larijani, adding that the military was verifying if he was killed in the strike. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a photo of him reportedly “ordering the elimination of senior officials in the Iranian regime.”
If his death is confirmed, Larijani would be the highest-ranking Iranian official killed since the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
Social media pages indicated that “a message from Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, will be published within minutes.” Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator and close ally of Khamenei, was last seen in Tehran on Friday participating in Al-Quds Day rallies.
Later that day, the United States offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including Larijani, as part of a list of 10 figures linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israeli military also confirmed the killing of Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij force, though no confirmation has been issued by Tehran.
Israel and the United States have been conducting airstrikes against Iran since Saturday, February 28, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, Tehran has retaliated by striking Israel and regional countries with missiles and drones.
Source: Reuters