Tel Aviv: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that Ali Larijani, Iran’s influential national security chief, was "eliminated last night" alongside the head of the Islamic Republic’s Basij paramilitary force.

If verified by Tehran, the death of Larijani would mark the most significant assassination since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials were killed in the initial wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes that launched the conflict on Feb. 28.

In a televised address, Katz stated he had received confirmation from Israel's military chief that Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani "were eliminated last night."

Katz added that the two leaders "have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell."

The IDF also shared the news of the death of Larijani in a social media post.

Targeting the "Axis" Leadership

An Israeli military official further noted that a strike in Iran also targeted Akram al-Ajouri, a top commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Authorities are currently evaluating whether al-Ajouri, the leader of the al-Quds Brigades active in Gaza and the West Bank, was killed. Al-Ajouri is identified as a key participant in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

Israeli officials characterised Larijani as the "de facto leader of the Iranian regime" in recent weeks, describing him as the strategist who was "calling the shots and moving the pieces around" following the vacuum left by Khamenei’s death.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a photograph of Benjamin Netanyahu on a telephone, with a caption stating: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime."

The Strike on the Basij

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) previously announced that Soleimani, who led the Basij volunteer force for six years, was killed in a "precise strike in Tehran." According to the military, the Israeli Air Force acted on intelligence to strike a "makeshift headquarters," killing Soleimani and several other commanders.

The IDF described the Basij, an auxiliary of the Revolutionary Guards, as the primary instrument of "repression operations" used by the Iranian authorities to stifle massive domestic protests that reached a crescendo in January. Rights groups estimate that the subsequent crackdown resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests.

In recent days, the Israeli military has focused on neutralising Basij checkpoints across Tehran in an effort to weaken the clerical establishment's domestic control.

The atmosphere in the region remains volatile. Shortly after Katz’s announcement, distant explosions were heard in Jerusalem, and sirens blared across northern Israel as the military warned of incoming Iranian missile fire.

With inputs from AFP