IDF kills top Iranian regime leader Ali Larijani & Basij commander responsible for killing of thousands of protesters

The Iranian regime’s de facto leader, Ali Larijani, and the man responsible for the bloody crackdown on its own people, Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, were killed in precise strikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force overnight, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, Katz said, “I was just updated by the Chief of Staff that the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and the head of the Basij—the regime’s main repression force—Soleimani, were eliminated overnight and have joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell.”

Larijani and Soleimani were reportedly eliminated in two separate strikes in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation, according to Fox News.

🔴Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated.

Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate… pic.twitter.com/kBIgSSGBm0

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 17, 2026

The Israeli military also confirmed the strike killed the deputy commander of the Basij force, Seyyed Karishi, other top officials in the paramilitary force, and the commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force.

The killing of Larijani could be the most important of the war so far, as he was said to have been effectively running the regime for the past months, leading the nuclear negotiations with the U.S. while orchestrating the mass killings of protesters, which was carried out by Soleimani’s troops.

🔴 COMMANDER OF THE BASIJ UNIT ELIMINATED

Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years.

Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence,… pic.twitter.com/aJ0dNtCFz0

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 17, 2026

“Larijani was secretary of the SNSC when it issued a live fire order against Iranians protesting in January. His administrative, political, and security experience will make him difficult to replace,” commented Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at the UANI think tank.

Katz added, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to continue hunting the leadership of the terror and repression regime in Iran and to repeatedly cut off the head of the octopus and not allow it to grow back.”

CONFIRMED: ALI LARIJANI ELIMINATED IN TARGETED STRIKE

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz:
🎥 Full statement (translated):

“The head of the Iranian government and I congratulate the Air Force for acting with determination and for hitting the head of the snake in Iran — and I… pic.twitter.com/26DSXxThzM

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 17, 2026

“U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the high turnover rate of Iran’s leadership. When morning breaks in Washington, we will update him that the high turnover rate continues and is even accelerating following the elimination of two of the most senior figures remaining.”

Israel’s Channel 12 cited an official who said that Larijani’s “assassination was planned for the night between Sunday and Monday, but was postponed at the last moment. Yesterday afternoon, intelligence was received that Larijani was expected to arrive at one of his safe apartments. This was not his home, but one of the apartments he used.”

“He was at the location with his son. There is no chance he survived this strike,” the official said.

Smoke from strikes could be seen during #Iran's regime's Quds Day parade today while high-level figures were in attendance including SNSC Secretary Ali Larijani and Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan. That's quite a message from #Israel and the U.S. pic.twitter.com/Ju1KwP4pgU

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) March 13, 2026

Larijani was most recently seen in a procession marking the regime's annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in which several officials prominently participated in what was meant to be a show of defiance and strength. He has also been among the regime’s most vocal officials on 𝕏, recently threatening U.S. President Donald Trump with “elimination.”

Reports indicate that Ali Larijani was opposed to the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as Supreme Leader, advocating for his own brother as successor instead.

Meanwhile, the strike that killed Soleimani reportedly targeted dozens of other Basij commanders alongside him.

“A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News.

The IDF said in a statement confirming his elimination that Soleimani “operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years,” noting the militia is “part of the armed apparatus of the Iranian terror regime.”

The strike hit Soleimani at a tent camp that was recently established by the Basij after the military struck many of the headquarters of the paramilitary force, the Times of Israel reported.

“During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led the main repression operations, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators. The elimination of Soleimani adds to that of dozens of senior commanders from the armed forces of the Iranian regime who have been eliminated during the operation, and constitutes an additional significant blow to the regime’s security command-and-control structures," said the IDF.

The Basij militia operates under the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and is estimated to have hundreds of thousands of members, many of them among the regime’s most ideologically committed followers. Due to his role as a key operative of the regime, Soleimani had faced sanctions from various Western countries and organizations, including the U.S., the European Union, the UK and Canada.

Larijani’s family has been connected to the regime government since the 1979 revolution. His father, Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amouli, was a senior and well-respected cleric, while Ali and his brother Sadiq have held several senior positions in the Islamic Republic over the past few decades. 

On Tuesday morning, Iranian authorities had stated that Larijani was due to give a public address later in the day, in an attempt to refute the Israeli reports of his demise. 

If Larijani’s death is confirmed by Iranian sources, it would indicate that the regime is now most likely being led by the remaining leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Its current leader is Ahmad Vahidi, the deputy chief of the IRGC at the beginning of the war; however, with the elimination of those above him, Vahidi became the leading official in the Guard.

He is believed, along with Larijani and President Masoud Pezeshkian, to have been responsible for running much of the regime’s day-to-day operations following the initial assassinations.