Iran’s top security official killed in airstrike, Israel says

BEIRUT — Israel said Tuesday it had assassinated Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani; The move, if confirmed, would represent a tangible blow to Iran’s leadership, which has shown little interest in compromise after almost three weeks of war with the United States and Israel.

The killing of Larijani, who led the country as de facto wartime leader after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died on the first day of the war, eliminates a senior official who was seen as a perfect insider despite lacking religious credentials for the Islamic Republic’s highest offices.

For all his belligerent comments since the start of the war, Larijani was also seen as a pragmatist, and observers say his death could strengthen the resolve of what remains of Iran’s leadership rather than trigger a desire for compromise.

His job as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council gave Larijani control of the country’s top security body, where he tasked government forces with using lethal force to suppress anti-regime protests in January.

The attacks also killed General Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Basij, the volunteer auxiliary wing of the Revolutionary Guard and an integral part of the state’s ability to maintain order, according to the Israeli military.

“Laricani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight, joining Khamenei, the head of the destruction program in the depths of hell, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday. he said.

Israeli officials have used the “axis of evil” to refer to Iran and its allied paramilitary groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Larijani served as parliament speaker for 12 years and had a say in nuclear negotiations as well as relations with allies such as China and Russia. He frequently served as the government’s representative in the media.

The Iranian government has not confirmed that he and Soleimani were killed. But shortly after Katz’s statement, Iranian officials released an undated note, said to have been written by Larijani, honoring the Iranian sailors killed in the US strike. The image of the note was also sent to Larijani’s account on X.

No explanation was given as to why the note was published and whether Larijani is alive or not.

“We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people the opportunity to eliminate it,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that such an outcome “will not happen suddenly and will not happen easily.”

“But if we insist, we will give them the chance to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu added.

Netanyahu and President Trump have repeatedly called on ordinary Iranians to overthrow the government.

While assassinating Larijani is seen as another intelligence coup for Israel and the United States, both may regret the loss of a figure who was considered a realist despite his defiant rhetoric since the war began on February 28.

His killing contributes to the evisceration of Iran’s upper echelons and raises the question of who is left to negotiate an end to the war, as well as who might have enough influence to get the Iranian deep state to agree to compromise.

Some observers say that’s the point.

“Why did the Israelis kill Larijani at this moment? Because Netanyahu is focused on blocking Trump’s ceasefire and pursuing negotiations with Iran,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Laricani would be the person to finish this job.”

Geranmayeh said Khamenei’s assassination strengthened the more hard-line figures in the government and Larijani’s death “could play an accelerating role on this path.”

“Israel appears to be turning its attention to targeting those who are pushing for a political solution to the current crisis,” he said.

Larijani’s death will increase the uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership. After Khamenei was killed and his replacement remained unclear, Trump added to the uncertainty by saying that the country’s new leader would need his approval, but also that the United States had killed most of the leaders he deemed acceptable.

After Khamenei’s son Mujtaba Khamenei was named the new supreme leader, Trump expressed his displeasure but repeatedly dodged questions about what the transition under the younger Khamenei would mean for the US war effort and the possible path to a solution.

Following the death of the elder Khamenei, Larijani emerged as a high-profile voice on Iran, saying Trump should “pay the price” for U.S. attacks on Iran.

In response, Trump even pretended he didn’t know who Larijani was.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about or who he is. I don’t care at all,” Mr. Trump said. he told CBS News.

Benjamin Radd, a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Affairs, said Larijani was perceived as “the last of the talented bunch” within the Iranian leadership; an intellectual who has a complex understanding of the geopolitical reality on the ground, has negotiated with the United States in the past, and is “adept at maneuvering” all the various parts of the Iranian power structure.

Radd said Larijani “lost his quality as a pragmatist” when he strongly supported the deadly crackdown on protesters in January, saying he was “more responsible than anyone else.”

“He was absolutely responsible for a tremendous amount of carnage, death and destruction,” Radd said.

But still, Radd said that with his death, “all the diplomatic and institutional experience he had in the Iranian leadership was lost.”

Those who remain in power, he said, “are generally not the toughest people, not people who understand the intricacies of diplomacy, what it’s like to negotiate with the United States.”

Bulos reported from Beirut and the Rector from Washington.