Israeli forces killed the Iranian regime’s security chief and de facto leader, Ali Larijani, in a Tuesday morning airstrike that has the potential to foment greater chaos within the Islamic Republic’s remaining leadership.
The IDF announced that Larijani was killed through “a precise strike” on his location near Tehran.
“His elimination adds to the elimination of dozens of senior commanders and leaders of the Iranian terror regime, who were eliminated by the IDF during Operation Roaring Lion, and constitutes a further blow to the Iranian regime’s abilities to manage and coordinate hostile activity against the State of Israel,” the IDF wrote in its statement.
After Ali Khamenei’s death, Larijani emerged as the country’s de facto leader, consolidating his power and overseeing combat operations against Israel and other Arab nations in the region. Along with his brother, Sadeq, Larijani waged outsized influence in the Iranian leadership and positioned himself as a successor after Khamenei’s death. He also served as secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, the body that orchestrated attacks on Israel and led efforts to violently suppress the Iranian people.
Curiously, employees of the New York Times and the BBC are taking his demise rather hard:
It's always amazing how easy it is for 3rd world totalitarian despots to woo progressive journalists. https://t.co/dTXDPkPc2J
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 17, 2026
I’ve met Lavrentiy Beria several times over the years . Yes , he was a top figure in a nasty regime . But he always seemed clever and reasonable , and would always have much vodka and caviar on hand pic.twitter.com/1nVRHMav4Q
— Eli Neuberger (@thevoos) March 17, 2026