Israeli Defence Ministry reports killing of Iran’s National Security Council secretary Larijani

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on 17 March that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Source: Times of Israel, citing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Channel 12 and BBC

Details: According to Channel 12, an operation to kill Larijani was planned for the night of Sunday to Monday, but the strike was postponed at the last minute. On Monday afternoon, information emerged that Larijani was due to arrive at one of his apartments where he had been hiding. It is reported that he was there with his son.

Immediately after the strike, a source within the security service told the broadcaster: "There was no chance that he survived this attack".

The IDF also reported that Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij volunteer paramilitary formation, was killed in a "precision strike" in Tehran.

For reference: Ali Larijani was a right-hand man of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war between the US and Israel against Iran, and was considered one of the leading figures of the regime after Khamenei's death, Times of Israel notes.

In August 2025, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Larijani secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and representative of Iran's supreme leader on the council. Iranian media also referred to him as an adviser to Khamenei.

Background: Earlier, the US government had offered a reward of up to US$10 million for information on key Iranian leaders, including new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The announcement said that the US government needed information on Mojtaba Khamenei, his deputy chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, military adviser Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, adviser Ali Larijani, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Intelligence and Security Minister Esmail Khatibi.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!