Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Tuesday that Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, was killed in overnight airstrikes, along with the commander of Tehran's Basij paramilitary force.
The killing of Larijani, if confirmed by Tehran, would represent the highest-profile assassination since the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other leaders during the wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes that started the war on Feb. 28.
Katz said that he had been informed by Israel's military chief that Larijani and the head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force Gholamreza Soleimani "were eliminated last night."
He said the two leaders "have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell."
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a photo of the premier on the phone, captioned: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime."
