Israel Kills Iran's Top Security Officials

Israel has confirmed responsibility for airstrikes that killed Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary forces. The strikes occurred as the war between Israel, supported by the United States, and Iran entered its third week with at least 2,000 people killed.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that both Larijani and Soleimani were targeted in separate strikes on March 17. The Israeli military announced these deaths on social media platforms. However, Iranian state media has not yet verified the reports, instead publishing a handwritten note attributed to Larijani commemorating sailors killed in a U.S. attack.

Larijani was seen as the right-hand man of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 during joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes in Tehran. Larijani had been prominent throughout the war, appearing most recently at Quds Day rallies in Tehran on March 13.

The war has intensified with Iran retaliating by attacking its Gulf neighbors and targeting ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of this critical waterway has raised global energy prices and stoked fears of inflation. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment following his father's assassination, declared that the U.S. and Israel must 'be brought to their knees' before any peace deal can be agreed upon.

Thousands of Iranians gathered to attend the funeral procession for Larijani and his son Morteza in Tehran on Wednesday. The top official was assassinated in Israeli airstrikes on Monday night, which also killed his bodyguards in a hideout apartment on the outskirts of the capital. Families congregated in Enghelab Square to mourn Larijani, his son, Soleimani, and 84 Iranian navy personnel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that 'Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation programme, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell.' He stated that the regime's leaders are being killed and their capabilities are being neutralized. Katz added that Israel’s military is making every effort to continue striking and neutralizing Iran's missile capabilities as well as its strategic infrastructure.

Larijani was widely understood as the de facto leader in Iran, central to the day-to-day running of the regime. He was responsible for architecting the slaughter of some 30,000 anti-government protestors earlier this year as the regime brutally clamped down on dissent. The defiant regime said the killing would not hinder its wartime operations and claimed it had rapidly appointed replacements across its political and military hierarchy.

After delaying an official response for much of the day, the regime eventually confirmed Larijani's death later on Tuesday with a statement from the security council. According to Israeli media, the killing of Larijani was initially scheduled for Sunday night but was postponed at the last minute due to valuable intelligence received by Israeli officials.

The assassination of Larijani and Soleimani is evidence of the deep grip Israel has on the machinations of the Islamic regime's top brass, with intelligence penetrating their every movement as the US dominates from the skies above. While Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was Iran's constitutional commander-in-chief and religious authority, it is largely agreed upon that true power lay at the hands of Larijani.

The war on Iran is in its third week with at least 2,000 people dead and no end in sight. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation globally.