Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official and one of the regime’s most powerful figures, was killed in overnight strikes, Israel said Tuesday.
Tehran has not confirmed or denied the death of Larijani, 67, and it was not immediately clear what Israel was basing its assessment on. There was also no immediate confirmation from the United States.
It would mark the most senior leader killed in the country since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei late last month, and a significant blow to the ruling clerical regime.
Larijani was officially the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, but was considered by many to be the country’s de facto leader after Khamenei’s death. He comes from a political dynasty that many referred to as Iran’s equivalent of the Kennedys.
For many years, Larijani was seen as the bookish front man for the regime, a counterpoint to his more fiery colleagues. But in recent months, the close adviser to Khamenei took a more hard-line turn as security chief and directed the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests that left thousands dead.
The State Department offered a $10 million reward last week for information on Larijani and other top regime officials.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told a news briefing Tuesday that Larijani and Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force that Iran uses to crush civilian protests, were killed Monday night.