Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed the assassination of Ali Larijani, the influential Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, in an overnight airstrike by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Tehran.

The strike, which Katz described as a direct order from himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force.

Katz's statement was stark: "Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated tonight and joined the head of the destruction plan, Khamenei, and all the thwarted members of the evil axis in the depths of hell," as reported by TPS.

The military said that Larijani “served as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime,” following the killing of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

He further declared that Netanyahu and he had instructed the IDF "to continue hunting down the leadership of the regime of terror and oppression in Iran" and to "repeatedly cut off the head of the octopus and not let it grow."

The IDF separately confirmed Soleimani's death, noting his six-year tenure as Basij commander during which the force spearheaded brutal repression in Iran, including widespread arrests and violence against civilian protesters.

Larijani, a pivotal power broker in Tehran, wielded considerable sway over Iran's political landscape. He recently postponed the formal announcement of Mojtaba Khamenei—son of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—as the next Supreme Leader, underscoring his role in internal succession manoeuvres.

Just a day earlier, on Monday, Larijani had issued a defiant message to the Arab world, vowing Iran's steadfast resistance against the United States and Israel. He insisted Tehran could not "stand idly by with its hands tied" amid US military bases in neighbouring states.

Framing the conflict in stark terms, Larijani declared: "The confrontation today is, in reality, between America and Israel on one side, and Muslim Iran and the forces of resistance on the other. Which side are you on, then?" He urged Muslim unity, rejecting accusations of Iranian hegemony in the region.

This escalation forms part of a broader intensification of hostilities in West Asia. Concurrently, the IDF struck a major underground Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon's Kfara area, destroying stockpiles believed to contain cruise missiles and hundreds of rockets.

Larijani's elimination marks a significant blow to Iran's leadership cadre, potentially destabilising the regime's command structure amid ongoing regional tensions.

The strikes reflect Israel's aggressive posture against what it terms the "evil axis" of Iran-backed proxies, including Hezbollah, with Katz's rhetoric signalling no let-up in targeted operations.

Iran has yet to issue an official response, but the loss of such high-profile figures could provoke retaliation from Tehran or its allies.

These developments come against a backdrop of heightened Israel-Iran confrontations, exacerbated by proxy conflicts in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.

ANI