March 17, 2026 | 06:14 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, that Israel had carried out two high-profile assassinations in overnight strikes in Tehran, claiming that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, had been killed.
Iran had not immediately confirmed either claim.
According to Al Jazeera, Iranian state media later published what appeared to be a handwritten note from Larijani, though it remained unclear whether the message was intended as proof that he was still alive.
The note, shared on Larijani’s social media account, paid tribute to Iranian sailors killed in a U.S. attack on their vessel in international waters. A funeral for the sailors was expected to be held on Tuesday.
If confirmed, Larijani’s killing would mark one of the most significant assassinations in the war since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several members of his family, according to reports.
Larijani was last seen in public on Friday, when he attended a Quds Day rally in Tehran alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Larijani has long been a prominent figure in Iran’s political establishment. He previously led Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with Western powers and also served as speaker of parliament.
Separately, the Israeli military said in a statement on Tuesday that it had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij, a domestic paramilitary force under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The military said the strike was carried out in central Tehran based on what it described as precise intelligence.
“Guided by precise intelligence from Military Intelligence, the Air Force conducted a targeted strike yesterday in the heart of Tehran, eliminating Gholam Reza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit over the past six years,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Iran had not publicly confirmed Soleimani’s death as of Tuesday. Al Jazeera reported that while Israel said Soleimani had been killed, Iranian authorities had yet to comment on the claim.
Read: Iran Vows to Resist US Attacks Until Trump Admits Mistake
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