We Have Killed Iran’s Security Chief, Israel Says
Israel has announced the killing of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani in a strike carried out on Tuesday.
The announcement was made by Israel’s Minister of Defence, Israel Katz, who confirmed that Larijani had been killed in the operation.
Katz said Larijani had been “eliminated” and that he and the prime minister had instructed the military to “continue hunting down” Iran’s leadership.
The Iranian security chief was last seen in public on Friday, where he participated in Quds Day rallies.
Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator for Iran, was also a close ally of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war.
He was last pictured publicly during the Quds Day march in Tehran on 13 March, according to posts on his X account, which showed him greeting and interacting with supporters.
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A day before that appearance, he taunted President Trump on social media, posting on X that “Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets.”
“We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation.”
In another post on 10 March, Larijani said Iran was not scared of Trump’s “threats”, adding that “even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iranian nation”.
“Be careful, so that you won’t get eliminated,” he added.
Israeli media reported that Larijani was attacked alongside his son in a hideout apartment.
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Larijani served as the influential secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). He was appointed in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian as secretary of the SNSC and as the representative of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the council.
He was also described by Iranian outlets as an adviser to the late supreme leader. Larijani served as speaker of Iran’s parliament for 12 years, from May 2008 to May 2020.
Although he led the Principlist faction in parliament from 2008 to 2012, he had in recent years been described as a “moderate conservative”.
Before becoming speaker, Larijani served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator between 2005 and 2007.
His brother, Sadegh Larijani, is also a prominent figure in the Islamic Republic.
He currently chairs the Expediency Council, a top arbitration body that serves as the final arbiter between parliament and the constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council.