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Israel kills Iran’s top security chief and Basij commander

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Photo- Ali Larijani, then secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, speaks to reporters in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025, during a visit tied to a memorial for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Photo: Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Larijani was the de-facto leader of Iran in the first ten days of the war and was considered the most powerful man and the main confidant of Iran’s slain Supreme leader Ali Khamanei

Israel assassinated two top Iranian officials in separate strikes Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: national security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary commander Gholamreza Soleimani.

Why it matters: Larijani was the de facto leader of Iran for the first ten days of the war after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in Israel’s opening strike and before his son Mojtaba was chosen as successor, Israeli officials say.

  • An Israeli official said Soleimani was in charge of crushing protests and that his killing is aimed at enabling a popular uprising.

 Israeli Defense Minister Katz vowed to continue “hunting the leadership of Iran’s terror and oppression regime and to repeatedly cut the head of the octopus and not allow it to grow back.”

The Iranian regime didn’t confirm either killing.

After the strike, Larijani’s telegram channel posted a handwritten message dated March 17 about a commemoration for navy martyrs.

 An Israeli official said Larijani was attacked in a Tehran safe house. 

  • The Israeli official also said Soleimani was struck alongside several top lieutenants in a makeshift headquarters.

Gholamreza Soleimani was targeted while at a tent camp that was recently established by the Basij according to IDF. He is not related to Qasem Soleimani the former head of the Quds Force of IRGC who was assassinated by the US in Iraq in 2020

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  • One Israeli official said Larijani was “the most powerful figure … running Iran” while questions remain about the extent of Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries.
  • “It is a continuation of the elimination of Ali Khamenei. Larijani was his main confidant. He was a very bad person who should be dead,” the Israeli official said.
  • A second Israeli official said Larijani’s power had been waning since Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as the new supreme leader. Larijani had lobbied for other Supreme leader candidates. 
  • In recent days, Larijani had also been part of a faction pushing to start peace talks with the U.S., sources with knowledge said.
  • The sources said the opposing camp, led by Mojtaba Khamenei supporters like parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmed Vahidi, pushed to continue the war.

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