ISTANBUL, March 18 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Iran confirmed Tuesday that Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an Israeli strike, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
In a statement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Larijani was killed in the attack along with his son, his aide Reza Bayat and several of his companions.
The Israeli military said it had killed Larijani in an airstrike near Tehran, claiming he was “eliminated” in what it described as a “precise strike” overnight Monday.
The Israeli army described Larijani as “the de facto leader” of the Iranian regime, according to its statement.
It also claimed that Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij forces, was killed in a separate airstrike in the country.
Larijani appeared publicly last Friday during Quds Day rallies in Tehran, hours before his name was reportedly included on a US list offering rewards of up to US$10 million for information on 10 senior Iranian officials.
Israel and the US have continued joint attacks on Iran since Feb 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
