Israel has announced that Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit, were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Monday and early Tuesday.
Iran has not confirmed the reports.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said, “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to continue hunting down the leadership of the regime of terror and oppression in Iran,” signalling a continuation of targeted strikes against senior Iranian figures.
Despite the claims, Iranian media reported that Larijani may issue a statement soon. Both Tasnim and Mehr news agencies indicated that a message from the security chief would be “published in a few minutes,” leaving his fate unclear.
Following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict, Larijani emerged as one of the most prominent figures in the Iranian leadership, vowing to continue resistance against Israeli and US military pressure.
Larijani was appointed in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and as the representative of the late Supreme Leader Khamenei to the council. He also served as an adviser to Khamenei.
Previously, Larijani served as speaker of Iran’s parliament from May 2008 to May 2020, leading the Principlist faction until 2012, though he has been considered a moderate conservative in recent years. Between 2005 and 2007, he acted as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.
His brother Sadegh Larijani remains a powerful figure as chair of the Expediency Council, which arbitrates between parliament and the Guardian Council.
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