Israel Claims Killing Top Iranian Security Officials

Israel has reported the deaths of two high-ranking Iranian officials following recent strikes. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, were “eliminated” in overnight airstrikes. These claims remain unconfirmed by Iran. If verified, Larijani’s death would mark the most significant loss of an Iranian figure since the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict. Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator and close ally to Khamenei, was publicly seen in Tehran days prior. Multiple sources indicate the strikes also targeted other senior Basij figures, with assessments of the full impact still underway. The U.S. had previously offered a reward for information leading to Larijani, listing him among ten figures linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Concurrent with the reported strikes in Iran, Israeli forces have also launched attacks on neighborhoods in Beirut.