Iran Security Chief Ali Larijani Killed, Claims Israel

Iran's top security official and the head of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij militia were both killed in overnight strikes in a blow to the country's leadership, Israel's defense minister said on Tuesday. Both security official Ali Larijani and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani were "eliminated last night," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in an airstrike Feb. 28, the first day of the war launched by the United States and Israel, and other top leaders from the Iranian theocracy have been killed since then. Iranian state media did not immediately confirm either death. However, it said a message from Larijani's office would be published shortly. Larijani hails from one of Iran's most famous political families. A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, he was appointed to advise the late Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He also served as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, its top security body.