Israel Says Iranian Security Chief Ali Larijani Killed in Strikes

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on March 17 that the Israeli military had killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, who led the volunteer Basij militia, which plays a major role in domestic security.

Katz said he had been informed by the Israeli military that Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Soleimani had been killed in overnight air strikes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a March 17 post on X that the Israeli leader had ordered “the elimination of senior officials of the Iranian regime.” The office published a photograph of Netanyahu issuing the directive.

Tehran offered no immediate response to Katz’s remarks.

A handwritten note by Larijani commemorating Iranian sailors killed in a U.S. attack was posted from his X account on March 17.

The Israel Defense Forces described Larijani in a post on X as one of the most senior figures in the Iranian leadership and a close associate of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors,” the IDF said.

Widespread protests across Iran in late 2025 were initially driven by the country’s deteriorating economic conditions and rising inflation. During the regime’s violent clampdown on protesters, 32,000 people were killed, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 20.

After Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 during the opening salvo of a joint U.S.–Israeli attack, Larijani functioned as the leader of the Iranian regime and led the fighting against Israel and countries in the region, the IDF said.

In a separate post on X, the Israeli military said Soleimani had led Iran’s Basij militia for the past six years and oversaw what it described as the regime’s main repression operations, including widespread arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.

The Basij is a part-time paramilitary organization under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that is frequently deployed to suppress protests and enforce internal security across Iran.

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Iran also launched missiles at Israel overnight. The Iranian military released a statement saying it had targeted with drones cybertechnology centres in Israel, as well as weapons manufacturing centres ​of the Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael.

Oil loading at ​the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah was ⁠at least partly halted on March 17 after a third attack in four days caused a fire at the export terminal.

Israel said it was conducting a new wave of operations against what it described as Iranian regime infrastructure across Tehran, as well as Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

The Israeli military had earlier indicated it was preparing for at least three more weeks of fighting.

“We are continuing to concentrate forces and conduct precise and targeted ground operations. Cooperation between the IDF and CENTCOM continues to strengthen, with joint actions contributing to enhanced operational achievements,” the IDF said in a March 17 post on X, citing Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the General Staff. “We will continue to act decisively to remove threats to the residents of Israel.”

Reuters contributed to this report.