Israel Claims Elimination of Senior Iranian Figures as Conflict Enters Third Week

Israel’s Defence Minister has stated that Ali Larijani, a senior aide and national security figure in Iran, was killed in an overnight airstrike, according to AFP. However, Iranian authorities have not issued any official confirmation regarding his death, and earlier reports had indicated uncertainty over whether he had been killed or injured.

In a separate development, Israel also claimed to have eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, a top Iranian commander, in a targeted strike in Tehran. The Israeli Air Force said the operation was conducted based on precise intelligence and described the strike as a significant blow to Iran’s military structure. Soleimani had reportedly served as commander of the Basij paramilitary force for the past six years.

The conflict between Iran and Israel has now entered its 18th day, with hostilities showing no signs of easing. The ongoing war has begun to impact global energy markets, raising concerns over potential supply disruptions and inflationary pressures worldwide.

A day prior to the reported strike, Larijani had issued a message addressed to Muslim nations, criticising what he described as a lack of support for Tehran amid the escalating conflict involving the United States and Israel. In his statement, he characterised the ongoing hostilities as “American-Zionist aggression” and asserted that Iran was mounting a “firm national and Islamic resistance.”

Larijani also claimed that the attacks had resulted in the deaths of senior leadership figures, including Ali Khamenei, along with military personnel and civilians—claims that remain unverified by independent sources.

As both sides continue to exchange strikes and rhetoric, the absence of clear confirmation on key developments underscores the complexity of the conflict and the challenges in assessing the full extent of its impact.