If confirmed, death would make Larijani the most senior Iranian figure to be killed since Ali Khamenei on first day of war

Israel says it has killed a linchpin of Iranian politics, the national security chief, Ali Larijani, in overnight strikes, a claim that if confirmed would make him the most senior Iranian figure to die in the war since the supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on its first day.

Iran has yet to comment on either claim. If confirmed, Larijani’s death would remove a pivotal figure at the heart of the regime’s political and security establishment at a moment of acute crisis and represent devastating blow.

Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said a separate strike killed the Basij paramilitary force commander, Gholamreza Soleimani, along with other senior Basij figures.