Iran officially announced late Tuesday the killing of Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and a key figure in the leadership, hours after Israel claimed his assassination in an airstrike.
According to a statement by the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Larijani was assassinated alongside his son, Morteza, the council’s Deputy for Security, Alireza Bayat, and several others.
The announcement followed a confirmation by the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) of the death of Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij (Mobilization) forces, whose killing in a Monday-Tuesday night raid had also been announced by Israel.
The Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that the funeral ceremonies for Larijani and Soleimani will be held starting at 10:30 GMT on Wednesday in central Tehran. The ceremonies will also honor more than 80 Iranian sailors who died when the United States sank their frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4th.
Fars news agency noted that Larijani was killed in a strike "carried out by U.S. and Israeli fighter jets on his daughter's home."
Netanyahu: An Opportunity for the Iranian People
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that by killing Ali Larijani, Israel is giving Iranians "a chance to determine their own destiny." In a video statement released by his office, Netanyahu said, "This morning, we eliminated Ali Larijani, a leader effectively managing Iran." He added, "We are shaking this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people a chance to get rid of it."
Israeli Military Details the Strike
The Israeli military confirmed earlier on Tuesday that it killed the Basij commander in a "precision strike in Tehran." A military statement read: "The Air Force, directed by precise intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate, carried out a targeted strike in the heart of Tehran yesterday and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who served as the commander of the Basij organization for the past six years."
Since Saturday, February 28, Israel and the United States have been conducting airstrikes against Iran, which led to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, Tehran has retaliated by striking Israel and regional countries with missiles and drones.
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