Iran's military leadership has suffered a major blow after Israel claimed it eliminated one of the country's most senior security figures in a series of targeted airstrikes, a development that could significantly affect Iran's leadership and increase tensions in the region.
The strike reportedly hit a site in Tehran where senior officials were believed to be. Al Larijani, the official targeted, was an important figure connecting Iran's political decisions with its military actions and has also been involved in regional diplomacy.
'Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation programme, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,' Israel Katz, Iran's defence minister, said on Tuesday.
He stated that another strike targeted Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij paramilitary force, along with several other senior Basij officials.
High-Level Targets Killed in Strikes
Israel said it had killed Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an overnight strike. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the operation as a significant success against Iran's command structure, though Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed the death.
A senior Iranian official who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the new supreme leader had rejected de-escalation proposals delivered through intermediaries, insisting that Israel and the United States must first be 'brought to their knees.'
The senior official also said that two intermediary countries had relayed suggestions to Iran's Foreign Ministry aimed at 'reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States,' but did not provide further details about the proposal or the countries involved, per Reuters.
In his first policy session since being named supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly said it was not 'the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation,' according to the official.
The official did not specify whether Khamenei, who has not been publicly seen since taking over last week following the death of his father, participated in the meeting in person or joined remotely.
The conflict between the US and Israel against Iran has now entered its third week, with at least 2,000 casualties reported with no apparent resolution.
The latest strikes are part of a wider campaign targeting Iran's military and intelligence leadership. Other reported strikes killed top figures including Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, and senior intelligence officers.
'Cut the Head of the Octopus'
Katz commended the Israeli military 's chief of staff for executing the strikes. Katz described the campaign against Iran's top officials as an effort to 'cut off the head of the octopus' to prevent the regime's leadership core from rebuilding. He said he vowed to keep on, 'hunting the leadership of Iran's terror and oppression regime and to repeatedly cut the head of the octopus and not allow it to grow back,' per a report by Axios.
He added, 'US President Trump spoke about the high turnover rate of Iranian leadership. As morning breaks on Washington time, we will update him that this high turnover rate continues and is even accelerating following the neutralisation of two of the highest remaining senior officials,' according to The Washington Post.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the IDF confirmed Soleimani's death, noting that he had led Basij for six years. The statement read, 'Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.'
Originally published on IBTimes UK
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