Iran confirms the death of national security chief Ali Larijani, President Pezeshkian expresses condolences

Iran confirmed on Tuesday the death of its national security chief Ali Larijani, hours after Israel admitted killing him in an airstrike. Iran’s president also expressed condolences for the dead while vowing revenge.“The pure souls of the martyrs embraced the pure soul of the martyr Dr. Ali Larijani, a righteous servant of God,” AFP quoted a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council as saying.The statement added: “After a lifetime of struggle for the advancement of Iran and the Islamic Revolution, he finally fulfilled his long-held wish, answered the divine call and gloriously received the sweet grace of martyrdom in the trenches of service.”The Iranian president also expressed condolences for Larijani’s death and vowed to “avenge” his “blood debt.” In a condolence statement, Pezeshkian described Larijani’s absence as “painful and disturbing.” According to the New York Times, Pezeshkian praised Larijani for his decades of service to the Iranian government and said the country would “continue on the path of defiance and resistance.”Meanwhile, in a televised speech, Benjamin Netanyahu Ali Larijani described Ali Larijani as “the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, the gang that actually rules Iran.” The Israeli prime minister added that the Iranian people could eventually overthrow their leadership, but warned: “It won’t happen all at once, and it won’t happen easily. But if we persist, we will give them a chance to take their destiny into their own hands.”Just hours earlier, Israel announced that Larijani had been killed in an airstrike. Israel said it killed another senior Iranian military figure on Tuesday, targeting Basij leader Ghulamreza Soleimani. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gen. Ghulam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, “were eliminated last night.” Agence France-Presse quoted Fars and Tasnim news agencies as reporting that the funerals of Ali Larijani and Soleimani will be held in central Tehran on Wednesday morning. The Israeli military also said it had attacked Basij positions around Tehran after earlier announcing the killing of the group’s top commander.