Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani was killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Iran overnight, the IDF and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Israeli confirmation of the assassination came after three separate sources told The Jerusalem Post that he was targeted.
This was the most momentous targeted killing following the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The IDF referred to Larijani as “the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime.”
Basij commander killed along with 'majority of leadership'
The IDF also confirmed it had assassinated Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Basij paramilitary militia, and his deputy, Seyyed Karishi. The two were killed in a makeshift tent area, which had been set up to make it harder to follow them than if they had been based in their headquarters.
An Israeli official also confirmed to the Post that the majority of the Basij leadership was eliminated overnight in the Israeli airstrike.
Additionally, the IDF announced it killed the IRGC’s Aerospace Force chief.
Larijani was due to give public address in Iran on Tuesday
Even before Larijani’s death was announced, and after Iranian regime authorities had stated that he was due to give a public address on Tuesday, two IDF sources were strongly optimistic that the strike succeeded in killing him.
After Larijani’s death was confirmed, the Mossad’s Farsi account posted on X/Twitter, saying, “In the end, people without mercy will die.”
The Prime Minister’s Office released an image later on Tuesday, which it said captured the moment in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the order for the targeted assassinations.
The Prime Minister’s Office released an image later on Tuesday, which it said captured the moment in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the order for the targeted assassinations.
Netanyahu made a statement via video following confirmation of Larijani’s death, calling him the “boss” of the regime, which he referred to as a “group of gangsters.”
“We’re undermining the regime, in the hope of giving the Iranian nation the opportunity to get rid of it,” Netanyahu said. “It won’t happen all at once, it won’t happen easily, but if we commit to it, we’ll be able to give them the chance to take their fates into their own hands.”
Larijani was 'de facto leader' of Iran after Khamenei's killing
Some have viewed Larijani as the man running the Islamic regime since former supreme leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated by the IDF, along with Iran’s military chief, the IRGC chief, the defense minister, and around 40 other top officials on February 28.
Larijani has been the Islamic regime’s most public voice, responding directly to threats and comments by US President Donald Trump and others.
Whereas Mojtaba Khamenei was technically appointed the next supreme leader, IDF and American intelligence said that he was badly wounded, and, given a total lack of public appearances, doubts have been expressed about his capacity to govern.
Further, Larijani was promoted to run day-to-day operations for the country and all negotiations with the West over the conflict in the weeks before the war started.
Larijani, on March 1, announced that he would be heading an interim committee to run the country, given Khamenei’s death. However, just because he issued such a statement did not necessarily mean that he was calling the shots.
He had ups and downs with Khamenei. Though Larijani had been an IRGC commander, speaker of parliament, and national security council chief, he was out of favor in 2021 and disqualified from running for president in favor of Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected.
However, in recent months, Larijani had made a comeback as one of the older still-living top advisers to Khamenei, following so many top officials being killed in June 2025. He rose to become Khamenei’s number two, running the country’s day-to-day security affairs and its nuclear negotiations with the US.
If Larijani has been the number one official in Iran these past two weeks, and even if he had only been one of the top few, killing him could significantly impact the overall strategic picture.
Besides Khamenei’s son and Larijani, another figure who could be running much of the regime behind the scenes is Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC deputy chief on the eve of the war.
On March 1, the IRGC announced Vahidi as its new leader. Given the Guard Corps’ centrality to running the regime’s security forces, his position as its leader could make him the regime’s reigning authority. This would be ironic because Vahidi was unknown and not even among the IRGC’s top 10 until December, when he became its deputy chief.
Most of Iran’s top leadership was killed in June 2025, and the majority of its current top leaders are relatively new to their posts. Vahidi ranked below them as a former interior minister from 2021 to 2024.
However, he also served as defense minister (2009 to 2013) and held other relatively high posts, and has been an IRGC commander since the late 1980s.
Pezeshkian has also made public statements relating to the Islamic regime’s goals and priorities, but is viewed as too weak in his influence with the IRGC to be in overall control at this time.