Two top Iranian leaders have been killed as the United States and Israel continue their joint operation against the Iranian regime.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij Force, have been eliminated, the Israeli Defense Forces announced Tuesday.
“Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators,” according to the IDF.
Larijani was closely associated with the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and was one of the nation’s top security officials. The former supreme leader tasked Larijani and several other officials with ensuring the regime would survive if he were killed, The New York Times reports.
“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership,” according to the IDF.