Israeli Air Force Escalates Tehran Offensive Following Assassination of Iran’s “De Facto Leader” Ali Larijani

Israeli Air Force launches new strikes on Tehran infrastructure after killing Iran's de facto leader Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 17, 2026, 8:52 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Times of Israel

Decapitation Strikes in the Heart of Tehran

The Israeli military has intensified its campaign to dismantle the Iranian leadership with the targeted overnight assassination of Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, Larijani had emerged as the primary coordinator of national security and the regime's de facto head of state. According to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the "elimination" of Larijani represents a fatal blow to the Islamic Republic's ability to maintain a unified command. The strike was part of a coordinated operation that also claimed the life of Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force, alongside several other high-ranking officials responsible for domestic repression.

Targeting the Architecture of Repression

The latest wave of Israeli Air Force (IAF) strikes has focused on a broad bank of infrastructure targets used by the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to maintain internal control. Under the command of the now-deceased Gholamreza Soleimani, the Basij force was the primary instrument used to violently suppress nationwide protests that have challenged the regime's 47-year rule. The IDF stated that these strikes are specifically designed to "lop off the head of the octopus," targeting command centers, intelligence hubs, and communication nodes that the Basij used to coordinate mass arrests and use of force against civilian demonstrators. By destroying these facilities, the Israeli military aims to permanently degrade the regime's capacity for internal enforcement.

A Systematic Erasure of Security Leadership

The deaths of Larijani and Soleimani add to a growing list of senior Iranian figures killed since the start of the conflict on February 28. In less than three weeks, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign has successfully targeted the Supreme Leader, the Defense Minister, and the Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to security analysts, the loss of Larijani is particularly devastating because he was the sole figure with the political pedigree and security expertise to bridge the gap between Iran's fractured political factions and its military leadership. His death leaves the newly appointed Mojtaba Khamenei in an increasingly isolated and precarious position, as the...