Israel assassinated two top Iranian officials in separate strikes Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: national security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary commander Gholamreza Soleimani.
Why it matters: Larijani was the de facto leader of Iran for the first ten days of the war after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in Israel's opening strike and before his son Mojtaba was chosen as successor, Israeli officials say.
- An Israeli official said Soleimani was in charge of crushing protests and that his killing is aimed at enabling a popular uprising.
What they are saying: Israeli Defense Minister Katz vowed to continue "hunting the leadership of Iran's terror and oppression regime and to repeatedly cut the head of the octopus and not allow it to grow back."
- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Larijani's elimination was part of Israel's effort to destabilize the Iranian regime.
- "Our hope is it will give the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it. This won't happen all at once, and it won't be easy. But if we persist, we will give them a chance to take their fate into their own hands," Netanyahu said.
The other side: The Iranian regime didn't confirm either killing.
- After the strike, Larijani's telegram channel posted a handwritten message dated March 17 about a commemoration for navy martyrs.
Behind the scenes: An Israeli official said Larijani was attacked in a Tehran safe house.
- The Israeli official also said Soleimani was struck alongside several top lieutenants in a makeshift headquarters.
Of note: Larijani had become the most publicly defiant voice of the Iranian regime, warning Trump on X just last week to "be careful not to get eliminated yourself" and threatening to "hunt down US servicemen" if the U.S. struck Iran's power grid.
Between the lines: One Israeli official said Larijani was "the most powerful figure … running Iran" while questions remain about the extent of Mojtaba Khamenei's injuries.
- "It is a continuation of the elimination of Ali Khamenei. Larijani was his main confidant. He was a very bad person who should be dead," the Israeli official said.
- A second Israeli official said Larijani's power had been waning since Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as the new supreme leader. Larijani had lobbied for other candidates.
- In recent days, Larijani had also been part of a faction pushing to start peace talks with the U.S., sources with knowledge said.
- The sources said the opposing camp, led by Mojtaba Khamenei supporters like parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmed Vahidi, pushed to continue the war.
