Iran confirms Ali Larijani, his son, 300 IRGC Basij field agents killed

Iran has confirmed the death of Ali Larijani, 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, Iranian media said on Tuesday. The Israeli airstrike also killed his deputy at the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bateni as well as Larijani’s son, who served as his special assistant, informed sources told Iran International. Qassem Qoreishi, deputy head of the Basij paramilitary organization, was also killed in the Israeli strike on the Basij meeting, the sources said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv said Israeli forces struck targets across Iran and killed two senior officials, urging Iranians to celebrate Nowruz while warning Israel is “watching from above.”

I'm here with Israel's Defense Minister, our Chief of Staff, the head of the Mossad, the Chief of Air Force, our senior commanders. In the past 24 hours, we knocked out two of the terrorist chieftains, the top terrorist chieftains of this tyranny.

Our aircraft are hitting the… pic.twitter.com/lFJKEMvgxR

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 17, 2026

Around 300 Basij commanders and field officials were killed in a wave of overnight strikes on key command and operational centers of Iran’s Basij forces, Iran International has learned.The strikes appeared to hit the logistics and command structure of a force long used to suppress dissent and confront anti-government protests.