Iran confirms death of security chief Larijani
Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, speaks at a press conference after registering as a candidate for the presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran May 31, 2024. (Reuters File Photo)


Iranian media reported Tuesday that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has been killed, following earlier claims by Israel that he was targeted in a strike.

Ali Larijani and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, were "eliminated last night," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Larijani was considered one of the most powerful figures in the country since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

The Iranian judiciary's news agency, Mizan, quoted the Revolutionary Guard as confirming the killing of Soleimani.

Both men were key to Iran's violent crackdown on protests in January that challenged the theocracy's 47-year rule.