IDF confirms Iran’s ‘de facto leader’ Ali Larijani killed in airstrike overnight

Following Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF also confirms that top Iranian official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike in Iran overnight.

Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was targeted by the Israeli Air Force in the capital Tehran.

The military says that Larijani “served as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime,” following the killing of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

“For years, Larijani was considered one of the most senior and veteran figures in the leadership of the Iranian terror regime and was close to the regime’s leader, Ali Khamenei,” the IDF says.

It says that after Khamenei’s killing in the opening strikes of the war on February 28, “Larijani established his position as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime and led the fighting against the State of Israel and countries in the region.”

“As part of his role, Larijani led the political-security coordination of the Iranian terror regime and was involved in directing its international activity,” the statement continues.

The military also says that during the wave of protests in Iran earlier this year, “Larijani led enforcement and violent suppression actions and even personally oversaw the massacre carried out against Iranian demonstrators.”