Larijani, security chief who was running Iran, killed: Israel

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Gen Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, were "eliminated last night", Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said Tuesday.

Larijani, 67, has in effect been running the country behind the scenes since the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb 28, the first day of the US-Israeli strikes. After Israel's claims emerged, Larijani's X account published an image of a handwritten statement in honour of Iranian sailors who had been killed in a US attack. It was not clear when the statement had been written, who wrote it or why it was published at that time.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Larijani's killing was part of efforts to give Iranians a chance to remove their rulers. Larijani and Soleimani were key to Iran's violent crackdown on protests in January that challenged the theocracy's 47-year rule. The killings would strip Iran of important leaders during a war that presents that greatest test for Iran in recent decades. Larijani was among a group of officials whom Khamenei tasked with devising a plan to ensure the Islamic Republic would survive if he were assassinated, according to senior Iranian officials and members of the royal guards.

Larijani hails from one of Iran's most famous political families, which many media outlets have compared to the Kennedys in the US. One brother, Sadeq, served as the head of Iran's judiciary, while another, Mohammad Javad, was a senior diplomat who closely advised Khamenei on foreign affairs. Larijani served for 12 years as speaker of Parliament. In 2021, he was tasked with negotiating a 25-year strategic deal with China that was worth billions and delivered a lifeline for an economy battered by western economic sanctions.Less is known about Soleimani, who led Iran’s paramilitary Basij, an all-volunteer force fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic. He is not related to Gen Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general who was killed in a US strike in 2020.An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Soleimani was killed in a combat tent alongside other Basij commanders, who were using it as makeshift headquarters as Israel has targeted their bases.Gen Gholam Reza Soleimani was born in the mid-1960s in the western Iranian city of Farsan. He first joined the Basij as a volunteer in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war. He became the commander of the Basij in 2019. The Basij numbers in thousands, and includes militarystyle brigades, anti-riot police and a vast network of informers who spy on Iranian society. During protests, plain clothes members can often be seen attacking, beating and hauling away demonstrators.