Israel says Iran's security chief Larijani is killed

Israel has said that Iran's security chief Ali Larijani and the commander of Iran's Basij unit Gholamreza Soleimani had been killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Monday and early Tuesday.

There was no confirmation from Iran.

"The prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) and I have instructed the IDF to continue hunting down the leadership of the regime of terror and oppression in Iran," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday afternoon.

At least two Iranian media outlets say top security official Ali Larijani will be publishing a message shortly.

The posts from the Tasnim and Mehr news agencies say the message will be "published in a few minutes".

Following the death of the senior Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the onset of the war, Larijani became the fiercest face of Iranian regime, vowing to continue the war despite his country getting pummeled by Israeli and US air forces.

Larijani was appointed in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and as the representative of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the council.

He has also been described in Iranian outlets as an adviser to the late supreme leader. He served as speaker of Iran's parliament for 12 years, from May 2008 to May 2020.

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Although he headed the Principlist faction in parliament from 2008 to 2012, he has been described as a "moderate conservative" in recent years.

Before becoming speaker, Larijani served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator between 2005 and 2007.

His brother, Sadegh Larijani, is another influential figure in the Islamic Republic. He chairs the Expediency Council, a top arbitration body that serves as the final arbiter between parliament and the constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council.