Israel Katz has claimed that Ali Larijani was killed in Israeli strikes targeting senior Iranian leadership, marking a major escalation in the ongoing conflict. However, there has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities so far, leaving some uncertainty around the claim.
Reports also suggest that Gholamreza Soleimani, head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, was killed in the same wave of overnight attacks.
Who was Ali Larijani?
Ali Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and was also the right-hand man of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei was killed in the initial joint strikes by the United States and Israel on 28 February. Since the killing of Khamenei, Ali Larijani emerged as one of the country’s leading figures.
More details are being added