Israel has claimed that Iran’s infamous security chief, Ali Larijani, was killed in an Israeli strike on Monday night.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made the announcement during an assessment of the operation, which the IDF confirmed targeted Larijani, this morning, according to his office.
Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council and a former speaker of its parliament, was considered the right-hand man of the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In his role as head of the Islamic Republic’s security forces, he was widely regarded as responsible for the brutal suppression of dissent in the country, notably the crushing of anti-regime protests earlier this year, which left thousands dead.
Katz also confirmed that a separate strike on an Iranian tent camp eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij paramilitary force.
The Basij is one of the five main branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is commonly known as Iran’s “morality police”, enforcing Islamic law on the population.
The same strike, per the IDF, killed Soleimani’s deputy and other top Basij officials.
"Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,” said Katz.
In its own statement, the IDF added: “Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated.
“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors.”
Iran has since attempted to contradict reports of Larijani’s death, with state media issuing a “statement” purportedly authored by the security chief as proof of life.
However, the statement in question came in the form of a handwritten note mourning the Iranian sailors killed in a US attack on the Iris Dena warship on March 4.
He wrote: "The martyrdom of the brave members of the Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic in Dena is part of the sacrifices of the proud nation that has emerged in this time of struggle against international oppressors.
"Their memory will always remain in the heart of the Iranian nation, and these martyrdoms will strengthen the foundations of the Army of the Islamic Republic for years to come within the structure of the armed forces.”
The note was undated, however, and did not appear to contradict the assertion that Larijani had been killed on Monday night.
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