As we reported earlier, Israel assassinated Ali Larijani in an airstrike near Tehran overnight
By Bernie,
As we reported earlier, Israel assassinated Ali Larijani in an airstrike near Tehran overnight. Here is who he was and why it matters.
Larijani served as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and was Khamenei's most trusted political ally. Even before the war, his portfolio was vast. He managed relations with Russia, Qatar, and Oman, supervised the nuclear negotiations with Washington, and personally oversaw the violent suppression of protests that swept Iran in January. According to the New York Times, Khamenei instructed Larijani before the conflict began to ensure the Islamic Republic's survival, even if the entire senior leadership was eliminated.
When Khamenei was killed in the opening strike on February 28, that contingency became reality. Larijani stepped into the vacuum and became the man running Iran's war. He consolidated authority over the regime's military coordination against Israel and Gulf states, and used his influence to delay the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, telling the Assembly of Experts that Iran needed a moderate, unifying leader rather than Khamenei's son.
Israeli officials say Larijani was designated as the number one target after Khamenei. Extensive intelligence and operational efforts were devoted to locating him. He never stayed in one place and maintained exceptionally high security awareness, reflecting the level of suspicion the regime's leadership had reached. An Israeli source told the Guardian the strike was planned for the previous night but postponed. Fresh intelligence on Monday placed him at a safehouse near Tehran. A combination of special capabilities and rapid decision-making at the political level and by the Chief of Staff led to the strike. Aircraft were scrambled and the operation was launched in real time. Israeli officials noted that closing a loop like this, scrambling jets to Iran rather than a nearby theater like Lebanon or Gaza, was extraordinary. He was killed alongside his son.
Larijani had appeared publicly just days earlier, marching in Tehran on Iran's annual Quds Day alongside President Pezeshkian in an effort to project regime stability. After his name was added to the U.S. wanted list, he posted a quote attributed to Imam Hussein on social media: "I see death as happiness, and life with the oppressors as misery." He was killed shortly after.
Topics: Iran, Lebanon & Hezbollah, Gaza
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