Iran confirms top security official Larijani killed in Israeli strike
2026-03-17 - 22:49
Iran confirmed Tuesday that Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, marking the most senior Iranian official to die since the war began. The assassination represents a major escalation in the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran's leadership structure. Senior officials eliminated In an official statement, Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced that Larijani died in the attack along with his son, his aide Reza Bayat and several companions. The Israeli military earlier claimed responsibility, stating it had carried out a "precise strike" overnight Monday near Tehran that "eliminated" Larijani, whom it described as "the de facto leader" of the Iranian regime. The army also claimed that Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij forces, was killed in a separate airstrike elsewhere in the country. Targeted days after US reward offer Larijani had appeared publicly just last Friday during Quds Day rallies in Tehran, hours before his name was reportedly added to a US list offering rewards of up to $10 million for information on 10 senior Iranian officials. The timing underscores the coordinated nature of pressure being applied through both military and intelligence channels. His death follows that of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial Feb. 28 strikes that launched the current war. Conflict intensifies The killing of Larijani brings the total death toll from the US-Israeli joint offensive to approximately 1,300, with senior political and military figures increasingly in the crosshairs. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting American military assets across Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, causing casualties and infrastructure damage while disrupting global markets and aviation. The assassination of such a high-ranking security official raises the prospect of further escalation as Tehran weighs its response to the decapitation of its leadership structure.