Israel says Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani killed in Tehran strike

Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday night, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

Larijani was the secretary of the National Security Council, Iran’s top decision-making body on defense and foreign policy. He also served as a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike in Tehran on Feb. 28.

There was no confirmation from Iran, and Larijani's X account was still active on Tuesday morning.

The Israeli military said earlier on Tuesday that it had also killed Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, in another overnight strike in Tehran, along with 10 senior officials from the unit.

Regional tensions continue to mount in the third week of the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States. The Gulf has been rocked by a series of Iranian drone and missile attacks, while Lebanon faces a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Several European nations have ruled out deploying warships to the Strait of Hormuz, even as US President Donald Trump warned that NATO’s future could be at risk if allies do not assist in reopening the key waterway.

Germany, Spain and Greece said on Monday that they would not participate in military operations in the strait, while the United Kingdom said it would not be drawn into the “wider war.” Italy said that “diplomacy needs to prevail.” Australia, France and Japan have also said they have no plans to send warships.

On Monday, Trump said he would report to the US House and Senate the “one or two” countries “we’ve been protecting for 40 years” that have refused to participate.

“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” he said at the White House. Asked later which countries he was referring to, Trump said he would “rather not say, but we’ll be announcing.”

Israel continued striking Lebanon on Tuesday, as its forces pushed deeper into Lebanese territory. The Lebanese military said five soldiers were injured in an Israeli drone attack in the south. According to the army, the soldiers were not on duty when the attack occurred.

Lebanon’s government said on Monday that more than 1 million people have been displaced since March 2, and at least 850 people have been killed.