Israel’s Katz: Iran’s top security official Larijani killed
Shafaq News- Middle East (Updated at 13:10)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday that Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an overnight strike targeting senior Iranian officials, though Iranian authorities had not confirmed the claim as of publication.
Katz told reporters that Larijani was “eliminated overnight,” along with a Basij commander, adding that they had “joined” other senior Iranian figures killed in the ongoing campaign.
Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said “significant elimination achievements” were recorded overnight, which appeared to reference the same operation.
There was no immediate confirmation from Iranian state media or officials regarding Larijani’s fate.
An account attributed to Larijani on X published a handwritten message almost at the same vtime of Katz’s announcement of his killing. The note, without a clear date, mourns Iranian naval personnel killed in recent events.
In the note, Larijani wrote, “… Their memory will remain in the hearts of the Iranian people, and these sacrifices will strengthen the foundations of the army for many years within the structure of the armed forces.”
Larijani, a veteran power broker and one of Iran’s most influential security figures, served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and was widely seen as a close ally of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
به مناسبت مراسم تشییع سلحشوران نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران: یاد آنان همواره در قلب ملت ایران خواهد بود و این شهادتها بنیان ارتش جمهوری اسلامی را برای سالها در ساختار نیروهای مسلح استوار مینماید. ازخداوند متعال علو درجات برای این شهدای عزیز خواستارم. pic.twitter.com/dvTdhyDYbY
— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 17, 2026
