Iran national security chief Larijani killed, declares Israel

Jerusalem: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Iran's powerful national security chief Ali Larijani was "eliminated last night", along with the commander of Tehran's Basij paramilitary force.

"I have just been updated by the Chief of Staff that Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and the head of the Basij -— Iran's central repression apparatus -— (Soleimani), were eliminated last night," Katz said in a statement released by his ministry.

"In a precise strike in Tehran: The IDF eliminated the Commander of the Basij Unit," The Israeli military said.

"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," it said.

The Basij, a volunteer force under Iran's Revolutionary Guards, "led the main repression operations" by the authorities during recent mass protests in Iran, the Israeli army said.

Larijani had since the start of the war played a far more visible role than the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since he was appointed to replace his slain father.

The security chief, on the other hand, was seen walking with crowds at a pro-government rally last week in Tehran, in a sign of defiance against Israel and the US.

His killing, if confirmed, would be a major blow against the Islamic republic, undermining a key figure seen as capable of navigating both ideology and diplomacy.

Iran was rocked by unprecedented protests against the clerical establishment that peaked in January. They were met with a crackdown in which, according to rights groups, thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands arrested.

In separate reports, Israeli media also said the military had targeted Iran's powerful national security chief Ali Larijani in an overnight strike. Public broadcaster Kan said that Larijani was the "target of an assassination attempt", while television station N12 reported the results of the strike were "still being reviewed".

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said "significant preventive achievements were recorded overnight" in a statement released earlier by the military. And the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a photo of the premier on the phone, captioned: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime."