Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has announced that Iran’s senior national security figure, Ali Larijani, was killed in a nighttime operation, alongside the commander of the Basij paramilitary force in Tehran.
According to Katz, he received confirmation from Israel’s military leadership that both Larijani and Basij commander, Gholamreza Soleimani, were taken out during the strike.
Should Tehran verify the claim, the development would rank among the most significant assassinations since the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and other top figures during the US-Israeli offensive that began on February 28.
Katz made the announcement in strong terms, stating that the two men “were eliminated last night” and “have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell.”
At the same time, the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, released an image showing him speaking on the phone, with a caption reading: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime.”
Earlier, the Israeli military confirmed that Soleimani was killed in a targeted airstrike carried out in Tehran.
“Yesterday (Monday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, targeted and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years.”
