Israel Targets Iran Security Chief Ali Larijani, Status Unclear After Strikes

Israeli strikes on Iran overnight reportedly targeted Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief, according to Israeli media reports. It remains unclear whether he was killed or injured.

A report by The Times of Israel said Larijani was among those hit in the strikes. There has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities so far.

Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator and secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, is considered a key figure in the country’s power structure. He is known to be a close ally of Ali Khamenei.

If his death is confirmed, he would be the most senior Iranian official to be killed after Khamenei, who died on the first day of the war.

Larijani was last seen publicly during Quds Day rallies in Tehran on Friday. Later the same day, the United States announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including Larijani, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Israeli media outlets also reported that strikes targeted Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij Resistance Force, along with other senior figures. The outcome of those strikes remains unclear, and Iran has not confirmed any casualties.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV on Tuesday issued a statement attributed to Larijani, in which he criticised Donald Trump.

"47 years ago, on the eve of the people's victory in the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the prime minister of the Pahlavi regime claimed that the sound of the massive crowds chanting in the streets was not real but rather the sound of a tape recording! Now Trump says about the millions-strong anti-American and anti-Israeli gatherings in Iranian cities that these images are artificial intelligence," the statement read.

"The historic victory of the Iranian people over the remnants of Epstein's Island is near", it added.

The developments come a day after Larijani addressed the Muslim world, stating that Iran remains "steadfast" in its fight against the US and Israel.

"Iran was subjected to a treacherous American-Zionist aggression that occurred during negotiations and whose aim was to dismantle Iran. This aggression led to the martyrdom of the great and self-sacrificing leader of the Islamic Revolution and a number of civilians and military commanders," he said on Monday.