Following widespread military strikes across Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the targeted killings of Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Netanyahu stated the assassinations aim to weaken the Islamic Republic and empower the Iranian people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces assassinated Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij Organization, following the expansive wave of Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets that commenced late on March 16. The targeted killings were confirmed in a televised address broadcast in Israel, as reported by Vahid Online, a prominent independent Iranian citizen journalism aggregator.
In his statement, Netanyahu characterized the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij as criminal syndicates that terrorize Iranian citizens in the streets. According to the opposition-aligned network Iran International, Netanyahu stated, "This morning we eliminated Ali Larijani, who is the band of gangsters that actually run Iran. We also eliminated the Basij commander alongside him; these are the assistants of the gangsters who create terror against the people." Netanyahu described Larijani as the head of the Revolutionary Guards, calling the organization the "mafia of mafias," according to Vahid Online. The Israeli Prime Minister confirmed that Israel is actively operating inside Iran using Air Force planes and drones.
Framing the military campaign as a direct intervention against the regime structure, Netanyahu directly addressed the Iranian public. He stated that Israel's objective is to systematically weaken the Islamic Republic to provide citizens the opportunity to remove the government entirely. "This will not happen all at once, it will not happen easily," Netanyahu said in a message covered by Iran International. "But if we persist in this work, we will give them the opportunity to take their destiny into their own hands."
Netanyahu's quote refers to Ali Larijani as the 'head of the Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC), which is a notable departure from Larijani's historical political roles in Iran. This claim is translated and reported exactly as it appeared in the Farsi source text from both Iran International and Vahid Online without alteration.