Iran has confirmed the killing of National Security chief Ali Larijani and the head of Basij force Gholam Reza Soleimani in Israeli strike. Larijani was one of Tehran’s most prominent figures in the ongoing war against the US and Israel and close confidant of slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba. The confirmation comes hours after Israel said it eliminated two of the top Iranian security officials, including Larijani, in an Israeli strike aimed at weakening the Iranian leadership amid the ongoing conflict.

Iran’s Fars news agency said Larijani was targeted by American and Israeli fighter jets while he was at his daughter’s house in the Pardis district east of Tehran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani and Soleimani were eliminated last night. The two leaders were key to Iran’s violent crackdown on protests in January that challenged the regime’s 47-year rule.