Israel says it killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani in air strike

Israel says Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, and the head of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani, have been killed in Israeli air strikes.

"Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation programme, along with all those eliminated from the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell," Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

Their deaths have not been immediately confirmed by Iranian authorities.

Larijani would be the most senior Iranian official to be assassinated since the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of Israeli and US strikes on 28 February.

They triggered a war that has spread across the Middle East, with Iran retaliating by launching missiles and drones at Israel and Arab states hosting US military facilities.

The price of oil has surged, with Iranian attacks forcing production stoppages in Gulf states and disrupting exports through the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that its air force had carried out a "precise strike" near Tehran on Monday night that killed Ali Larijani, describing him as "one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime".

"Following the elimination of Khamenei, Larijani consolidated his status as the de-facto leader of the Iranian regime and led the combat efforts against the State of Israel and countries across the region," it said.

Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it."

Iranian authorities have not commented on the Israeli statements, which came after a night of heavy bombardment in Tehran interspersed with the sound of thunder.

But shortly after Katz's statement, Larijani's social media accounts posted an undated, handwritten note that state media said was written on Tuesday.

The note praises the 84 "warriors" of the Iranian navy who were killed in a US submarine attack on their warship off the coast of Sri Lanka this month. Iran is preparing to hold a ceremony to honour the sailors on Tuesday evening.

State TV read out a similar message about the sailors from the commander of the Basij Resistance Force, Gholamreza Soleimani, who the IDF said was killed in another overnight strike.

The Basij is a volunteer militia whose estimated one million members are often called out onto the streets to use force to suppress dissent. It is controlled by the powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

"During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani's command led the main repression operations," the IDF said.

The IDF also released video footage showing what it said was one of several air strikes targeting Basij checkpoints across Tehran on Tuesday.

Iranian authorities have not commented, but last week local media reported that a number of security personnel had been killed in Israeli strikes on four checkpoints in the capital.

Larijani is believed to have overseen the unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on the protests that swept across Iran in December and January. At least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, human rights activists say.

It is very difficult to contact people in Iran because of an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities. However, some Iranians opposed to the establishment who sent text messages to BBC Persian welcomed Tuesday's news.

A man in his 30s from Tehran said: "I think it was a very important step because the decision-making brains must be shut down."

A man in his 20s, who lives in the nearby city of Karaj, said: "When they die, you might not believe it, but I get so happy because they're criminals and have so much blood on their hands."

Larijani was appointed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) by President Massoud Pezeshkian last August.

He was also Khamenei's representative on the council, and was described by Iranian news outlets as an adviser to the late supreme leader.

Before the war, Khamenei reportedly tasked Larijani with devising a plan to ensure that the Islamic Republic would survive a major attack by Israel and the US, including the assassination of its leadership.

After the death of the supreme leader, Larijani became an even more powerful figure.

Although Khamenei's son Mojtaba was chosen as his successor, he has not been seen in public or appeared in any recent photographs or videos since the start of the war, having reportedly been injured in the Israeli strike that killed his father.

By contrast, Larijani regularly responded to statements by US President Donald Trump on social media and was filmed walking with supporters of the Islamic Republic at the Quds Day demonstration in Tehran last Friday.

In an interview with state TV at the rally, he dismissed a nearby air strike as being a sign that Israel and the US were acting "out of fear, out of desperation".

Larijani was a former Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who rose to prominence as head of Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB. He held the position for 10 years before becoming a security adviser to Khamenei in 2004.

After an unsuccessful run in the 2005 presidential election, he became Iran's chief nuclear negotiator with the West. He quit two years later, reportedly over differences with the then-hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He then served as Speaker of Iran's parliament for 12 years, from 2008 to 2020. Although he headed the hardline "principlist" faction - committed to the ideological principles of the Islamic revolution - during his first term, Larijani was described in later years as a "moderate conservative".

His brother, Sadegh Larijani, is another influential figure in the Islamic Republic. He chairs the Expediency Council, a top arbitration body that serves as the final arbiter between parliament and the constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council.