2026-03-17T21:32:09.172Z

Israel Claims Killing Top Iranian Officials, Iran Confirms Larijani's Death

armed conflict defense & military political figures

Israel announced the killing of Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief and a key figure in its wartime leadership, in overnight strikes. Iranian state media later confirmed his death. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, were “eliminated.” The strikes, which targeted multiple locations, represent the highest-profile assassinations since the targeting of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war. Larijani was a former nuclear negotiator and held significant influence within Iranian politics, maintaining relationships with countries like China and Russia. Initial reports from Israeli officials indicated uncertainty regarding Larijani’s condition, but confirmation followed. While Iran has acknowledged Larijani’s death, there has been no immediate comment regarding the reported killing of Soleimani. The outcome of the strikes is still being assessed.

Iran Confirms Security Chief Larijani Killed in Israeli Strike

2026-03-17T21:49:11.000Z bloomberg.com

Iran Confirms Death of Security Chief Larijani: Tasnim

2026-03-17T21:03:56.000Z bloomberg.com

Israel Says It Has Killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s De Facto Political Leader

2026-03-17T21:00:09.000Z nytimes.com

Iran confirms security chief Ali Larijani killed, Iranian media reports

2026-03-17T20:58:02.717Z reuters.com

Iran suffers another blow to its leadership with 2 top officials killed

2026-03-17T20:33:35.000Z npr.org

Death of influential Ali Larijani may be bigger loss to Iran than Khamenei

2026-03-17T15:06:43.000Z theguardian.com