Israel has claimed to have killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and the commander of the internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, with no confirmation or denial by Iran so far.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz made the claim of Larijani’s death on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media published a handwritten note by Larijani, though it was not clear whether it was intended as proof of the life of the senior official. Larijani’s note, published on his social media pages, commemorates 84 Iranian sailors, whose funeral is expected on Tuesday, killed in a US attack on their naval ship in international waters.
If confirmed, Larijani would be the highest-level killing in the war since United States-Israeli strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several members of his family, on the first day of the war they launched on February 28.
Larijani was last seen publicly on Friday, attending the Al-Quds Day rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, along with President Masoud Pezeshkian.
He has been a key political figure in the Iranian hierarchy for years, at one time leading the nation’s nuclear negotiations with the West. Previously, he was also the Iranian speaker of the parliament.
Apparently referring to the high-profile killing, Katz said, “The leaders of the regime are being killed and their capabilities terminated.”
“Our army is working with strength to continue to hit and terminate the missile capabilities as well as the strategic infrastructure,” he wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the alleged killing of Larijani was part of an effort to give Iranian a way to overthrow the government.
Credit: aljazeera.com
