Israel has claimed the killings of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij militia, according to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. Iran has not confirmed or commented on either claim.
Iranian state media published a handwritten note by Larijani on his social media accounts, commemorating Iranian sailors killed in a US attack on their vessel in international waters. It is unclear whether the note is intended as proof of life. The sailors’ funeral is expected on Tuesday.
If confirmed, Larijani would be the highest-ranking Iranian official to be assassinated in the ongoing conflict, following United States-Israeli strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several family members on the first day of the war on February 28.
Larijani was last seen publicly on Friday at the al-Quds Day rally in Tehran in support of Palestinians, alongside Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. A longtime figure in Iran’s political hierarchy, Larijani previously led the nation’s nuclear negotiations with the West and served as the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament.
The Israeli military said it targeted Soleimani in Tehran based on intelligence from its military, describing him as the commander of the Basij unit for the past six years. Iran has not confirmed this claim.
#From BBC & Al Jazeera