Israel has claimed that Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief and a key political figure in the country’s leadership, was killed in an overnight airstrike in Tehran, a development that could mark one of the most significant losses for the Iranian establishment during the ongoing conflict.
According to statements from Israeli officials, the strike targeted Larijani while he was at one of several apartments used as hideouts in the capital. If confirmed, his death would make him the most senior Iranian official killed since Ali Khamenei, who died on the first day of the war.
Iran has not yet officially confirmed the claim.
As per a report by The Guardian, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said another strike also killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij paramilitary force, along with other senior members of the organisation. “Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight,” Katz said in a statement on Tuesday.
Strike highlights Israel’s intelligence reach
The alleged strike suggests Israel still retains detailed intelligence on the movements of Iran’s senior leadership inside Tehran and can conduct precision attacks during the ongoing conflict.
Iranian state media later aired a handwritten note attributed to Larijani praising sailors killed in a recent US attack on an Iranian vessel. However, the message was likely written before the Israeli strike and does not confirm that he survived.
Explosions were reported overnight in several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Shiraz, as the conflict continued to escalate. The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the “elimination of senior officials of the Iranian regime”.
Key figure in Iran’s political and military strategy
Larijani had been appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in August following earlier US-Iran tensions in 2025. During the current war, he was widely seen as the political strategist behind Iran’s response.
Before the conflict intensified, Larijani also played a diplomatic role alongside Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, engaging with Gulf states in an attempt to prevent military escalation.
Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1958, Larijani rose through the ranks of the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution. Over the years he served as Iran’s culture minister, head of state broadcasting and speaker of parliament for more than a decade.
He also served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and later supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
War continues with heavy toll
The United States-Israel conflict with Iran is now in its third week, with at least 2,000 people reported killed so far.
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The strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass, remains largely closed amid the escalating tensions.
If Larijani’s death is confirmed, the number of senior Iranian officials reportedly killed by Israeli strikes since the start of the conflict would rise to 10, including several high-ranking military commanders.
