Israel says Iran s key security chief Larijani has been killed in strike

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Tuesday that the Israeli military has killed Ali Larijani, Iran's security chief and the leader of the Basij militia, in airstrikes that occurred overnight. Larijani, who was a former nuclear negotiator and closely associated with the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was confirmed dead by Katz in a statement received from the military. On the same day, Iranian state media released a handwritten message from Larijani honoring Iranian sailors who died in a U.S. attack, with their funeral taking place that Tuesday. However, there was no immediate response from Tehran regarding Katz's statements. Larijani's death marks the highest-profile assassination since Ayatollah Khamenei was killed on February 28, during the initial day of Israeli-U.S. airstrikes. Katz also reported that Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Basij forces, was killed in the same operation. The Basij militia is a part-time paramilitary group managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is often deployed to suppress protests within Iran. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office indicated that the Israeli leader has ordered the removal of senior Iranian officials. The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has now entered its third week, resulting in at least 2,000 fatalities, with no resolution in sight. The Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed, and U.S. allies have declined President Donald Trump's requests for assistance in reopening this crucial waterway, which facilitates around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Early Tuesday saw continued attacks from both sides, with Iran firing missiles at Israel overnight, demonstrating that Tehran still has the ability to conduct long-range strikes despite more than two weeks of assaults from U.S. and Israeli forces.