Confusion and competing narratives have emerged after Israel claimed it had killed Iran's senior security figure, Ali Larijani, even as a viral social media post by former Israeli official David Keyes drew scrutiny for apparently "predicting" the strike. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani was "eliminated last night", describing the reported killing as a major blow to Iran's leadership more than two weeks into a widening regional war. Iran has not confirmed the claim.
Larijani, 68, was widely seen as a central figure in Iran's strategic decision-making, with deep involvement in its nuclear policy and diplomacy. In recent weeks, his influence had appeared to grow further following the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Amid the uncertainty, attention has shifted to a post made on March 13 by David Keyes, a former aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the post, he suggested Larijani would be "next", citing a supposed intelligence source.
After Israel's announcement, Keyes posted again, saying "told you" - fuelling speculation online about whether the earlier message reflected insider knowledge.
However, many users and analysts have dismissed the claim as satire. Some pointed out that the name cited in the original post appeared to be a pun rather than a real individual, suggesting the message was intended as dark humour rather than a genuine leak of intelligence.
When some users asked Grok to confirm if the claim is right, it replied in the negative and said "Haba Bator is Hebrew for "next in line", a pun on the circled random guy in that old photo. He's satirically "revealing" his fake Mossad buddy to predict the next Iranian target. Dark humor, not actual intel."
Keyes, now an activist and commentator, has previously been known for provocative online posts targeting authoritarian regimes.
The timing has nonetheless added to the fog of information surrounding the conflict, where claims and counterclaims have often outpaced verification.
Separately, Israel said it had also killed Gholamreza Soleimani, head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, in a strike in Tehran a day earlier. There has been no confirmation from Iranian authorities.
Shortly after the claim about Larijani's death, his official social media accounts posted an undated handwritten note attributed to him, without addressing the Israeli statement.
The absence of independent confirmation leaves the situation unclear, even as the conflict continues to escalate across the region.
