Further weakening its leadership structure…
This includes Iran’s de-facto head of state and the head of its despicable domestic civil repression apparatus. As part of its ongoing campaign targeting Iran’s security command structure amid the wider conflict, Israel announced it “eliminated” top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and Basij militia commander Gholamreza Soleimani in targeted airstrikes.
Larijani, 67, was the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), one of Iran’s most senior leaders and one of the most powerful figures in the country. With the public absence of the figurehead new Supreme Leader — the severely wounded and likely disfigured, Mojtaba Khamenei — Larijani was the de facto head of the Islamic Republic.
Tehran has not confirmed whether he has been killed or injured.
Larijani was last seen in public at a Quds Day march in Tehran on Friday, in an apparent attempt to counter U.S. and Israeli claims that Iran’s leaders were cowering like rats underground. If so, the taunts worked by smoking out Larijani and then taking him out.
On Friday, the U.S. included him in a list of top Iranian officials with bounties on their heads.
While often described as a “moderate conservative,” there really are no “moderates” in the Iranian regime. You are either hardcore or more hardcore.
Larinjani was appointed in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian as secretary of the SNSC and as the representative of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the council.
He has also been described in Iranian outlets as an adviser to the late supreme leader. Before that, he served as speaker of Iran’s parliament for 12 years, from May 2008 to May 2020, where he headed the Principlist faction.
Before becoming speaker, Larijani served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator between 2005 and 2007.
If confirmed, Larijani’s death would mark the most senior assassination in Iran since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the opening day of joint Israeli-U.S. airstrikes on February 28.
Meanwhile, perhaps more significant is the killing of the latest Soleimani, Gholamreza, the Basij militia commander. The prior notorious Soleimani, Qasem, the commander of the terrorist Quds Force, was taken out by President Trump in 2020.
I have long promoted the need to target and destroy as much of the Iranian regime’s internal repression apparatus as possible to loosen its grip on the Iranian people and hasten the regime’s collapse.
The volunteer Basij paramilitary militia, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is known for its role in violently suppressing anti-regime protests and is believed to be responsible for the massacre and disappearance of countless Iranian civilians.
Soleimani was reportedly targeted while at a tent camp that was recently erected by the Basij. According to the IDF, the Basij set up the camp after the military struck many of the headquarters of the vile paramilitary force.
The Israeli strike also reportedly killed the deputy commander of the Basij and other top officials in the paramilitary force. But decapitation of top leadership isn’t enough, scores more need to be eliminated. And that may be occurring.
According to one anti-regime source, upwards of 300 Basij commanders and field officers were killed in total in the overnight strikes on key command and operational centers of Iran’s Basij forces.
While unconfirmed other sources, Iran International reported: “The strikes appeared to hit the [Basij] logistics and command structure.”
The outlet added:
In one of the most critical attacks, a Basij support unit’s repair and maintenance center was hit. The site housed hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles used in street operations and neighborhood patrols. Initial reports said the fleet was destroyed.
Facilities linked to the Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps, the IRGC unit responsible for the greater Tehran area, were struck.
The Imam Hadi security unit, a strategic command center in Tehran, was also heavily damaged.
The Imam Ali security battalions, which have played a central role in cracking down on protests, also suffered heavy personnel and equipment losses.
If true, this would be a significant blow, and Israel should ramp up attacks on all of Iran’s internal repression forces. Along with seizing Iran’s vital oil facilities on Kharg Island, this is the best way to ensure or at least accelerate, regime collapse.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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God bless Bibi and the IDF. They can do what we dare not, since they will be hated regardless.