Tel Aviv, March 17: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has claimed that Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, has been killed in a missile attack. However, this assertion has not been confirmed by Iranian authorities. The military has released a note purportedly written by Larijani.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they had targeted Larijani. According to the prominent Israeli daily, The Times of Israel, Minister Gallant stated on Tuesday that the Israeli military had eliminated Iran’s security chief and the head of its Basij militia during overnight airstrikes.
Gallant mentioned in a statement that the military had informed him of Larijani’s death. Meanwhile, a handwritten note from Larijani has circulated on his X account, paying tribute to Iranian sailors killed in a U.S. attack. This note has also been shared across various platforms linked to Iranian state media.
As of now, Tehran has not issued any immediate comments regarding Gallant’s statements. If confirmed, Larijani would become the highest-ranking Iranian official killed since the February 28 Israeli-American airstrike, following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Reuters, citing four Israeli officials, reported that it remains unclear whether Larijani has been killed or injured. Officials indicated that Larijani was among the targets the Israeli military aimed at during the attacks across Iran on Tuesday night.
A former nuclear negotiator, Larijani is considered close to Khamenei and was seen participating in ‘Quds Day’ rallies in Tehran last Friday. The IDF also reported that the head of the Basij Resistance Force, Gholamreza Soleimani, and other senior Basij officials were killed in these attacks.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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