Assassination of Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani in 2025

On 17 March 2026, Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council who was seen the de facto leader of Iran since December 2025, was assassinated in Tehran as part of a set of Israeli airstrikes against high-ranking Iranian officials. His death happened as part of the 2026 Iran war. Larijani was the number one target and most senior official to be killed after the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.[1]

Attack

On the night between 16–17 March 2026, Larijani was the target of an Israeli airstrike.[2] Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Larijani was killed.[3] Iran confirmed hours later that Larijani was killed in the attack.[4] His son Morteza and the head of his office Alireza Bayat were also killed in the strike.[5] It was reported that he was killed by a U.S.-Israeli strike as he was visiting his daughter in eastern Tehran.[6] Israeli intelligence officials on the other hand said that they were able to see where he was going after being told by Tehran's residents and bombed him while he was meeting with other officials in a secret space near Tehran.[7][8]

The commander of Iran's internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, was also killed in a separate Israeli airstrike on the same night.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Number one target: How Israel assassinated Iran's 'de-facto leader' Larijani | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2026-03-17. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  2. ↑ "Israeli media say military targeted top security chief Larijani". Iran International. 17 March 2026. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Iran's top security chief Larijani is dead, Israeli defence minister Katz says". Iran International. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  4. ↑ "Iran confirms security chief Larijani, Basij commander Soleimani killed". Al Jazeera. 17 March 2026. Archived from the original on 18 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Reals, Tucker; Tyab, Imtiaz (17 March 2026). "Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, was killed in an airstrike. Here's why his death is so significant". CBS News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "Ali Larijani, Iran's ultimate backroom powerbroker, killed in Israeli airstrike". Reuters. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "Israeli official says tip from Tehran residents helped enable Larijani strike". Iran International. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Lieber, Dov; Faucon, Benoit; Raice, Shayndi (17 March 2026). "Israel Is Hunting Down Iranian Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Iran's Basij militia commander Gholamreza Soleimani killed: IRGC". Al Jazeera. 17 March 2026. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
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