Two Senior Iranian Officials Killed in Overnight Airstrike by Israeli Forces

Two top Iranian commanders were killed Monday night in an Israeli airstrike, including Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and General Gholamreza Soleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij paramilitary forces.

🚨 BREAKING: Iran has just been embarrassed again on the world stage, with the regime’s security chief Ali Larijani being KlLLED in an overnight strike

This same hardliner Islamist THREATENED President Trump 5 days ago, vowing to make him “sorry”

Bye, terrorist 👋🏻🔥 pic.twitter.com/rRj8vW4lRm

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 17, 2026

UPDATE: Top Iranian official Ali Larijani, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani were both killed overnight, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. These were separate strikes, and part of a joint Israeli/American effort, I’m told. https://t.co/RWkElYAJ3A

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 17, 2026

Larijani was killed only days after he slammed Operation Epic Fury and President Trump, claiming the military operation was running out of steam. 

“It’s clear they’re running out of steam,” Larijani said in an interview, “Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand that the Iranian nation is mature and determined.”

CONFIRMED: ALI LARIJANI ELIMINATED IN TARGETED STRIKE

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz:
🎥 Full statement (translated):

“The head of the Iranian government and I congratulate the Air Force for acting with determination and for hitting the head of the snake in Iran — and I… pic.twitter.com/26DSXxThzM

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 17, 2026

Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the elimination of senior Iranian regime officials. pic.twitter.com/av6rIqNOFt

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 17, 2026

As for Soleimani, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) released a statement upon his death.

“Guided by precise intelligence from Military Intelligence, the Air Force conducted a targeted strike yesterday in the heart of Tehran, eliminating Gholam Reza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit over the past six years,” the IDF wrote on X. “The Basij forces constitute part of the armed forces of the Iranian terror regime. Amid the internal protests in Iran, and particularly in recent times with their escalation, the Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led key suppression operations involving severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian protesters.”

“Soleimani’s elimination adds to the dozens of senior commanders from the armed forces of the Iranian terror regime who have been eliminated throughout the operation, and it represents another severe blow to the regime’s security command and control systems,” they added.

בתקיפה מדויקת בטהרן: צה״ל חיסל את מפקד יחידת הבסיג׳

חיל האוויר בהכוונה מודיעינית מדויקת של אמ״ן, תקף אתמול באופן ממוקד בלב טהרן וחיסל את ע׳לאם רצ׳א סלימאני, מפקד יחידת הבסיג׳ לאורך שש השנים האחרונות.

כוחות הבסיג׳ מהווים חלק מהכוחות החמושים של משטר הטרור האיראני.
במסגרת המחאות… pic.twitter.com/qopLhFkXLF

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 17, 2026

This comes as over 50 senior Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, were killed in just over two weeks of joint military operations by the United States and Israel.

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