ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Israel on Tuesday claimed to have killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). Tehran has yet to confirm the reports.

“The IDF [Israeli military] announces that yesterday, March 17, 2026, the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, and through the integration of unique operational capabilities, conducted a precise strike that eliminated Ali Larijani,” read a statement from the Israeli military, describing Larijani as “the de facto leader” of the Iranian regime. “The strike was conducted while he was located near Tehran.”

Israel announced earlier that it had targeted and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, Commander of the Basij unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also announced that Larijani, who has risen to prominence and emerged as one of the key leaders of Iran during the current conflict, had also been targeted and killed.

“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, [Ali] Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,” Katz’s office cited the minister as saying during an assessment on Tuesday morning.

Iran has yet to confirm or deny the reports about Larijani and Soleimani.

Minutes after Katz’s statement, Larijani’s X account shared a handwritten letter from the top official, in which he pays respects to the killed members of the Iranian Navy. The post does not address the reports about his assassination.

Larijani, a senior Iranian politician and former IRGC officer, previously served as Secretary of the SNSC from 2005 to 2007, during which he was Iran’s chief negotiator on national security and nuclear issues. He also served as an advisor to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In August 2025, Khamenei named Larijani as one of his personal representatives to the SNSC, days after he was appointed as the council’s secretary.