Tehran [Iran], March 18 (ANI): Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reacted to the confirmation of Ali Larijani's assassination, calling it a 'source of national awakening', Al Jazeera reported.

Citing Iran's Tasnim news agency's statement, Al Jazeera reported that the IRGC described Larijani as a 'distinguished figure, thinker [and] revolutionary politician' and said that the 'pure blood of this great martyr, like other dear martyrs, will be a source of honour, strength, and national awakening'.

'The IRGC will certainly not forget the bloodlust of this great martyr and other martyrs,' it added.

Meanwhile, Israel's military escalation in West Asia intensified sharply on Tuesday after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had eliminated Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, in what Israeli leadership described as a major blow to Iran's power structure.

In a strongly worded statement following the killings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the operation, saying, 'This morning, we eliminated Ali Larijani,' whom he described as a central figure in Iran's ruling establishment and closely tied to its military apparatus.

Netanyahu further asserted that Israel is conducting aerial operations deep inside Iranian territory, aimed at weakening the regime and creating conditions for internal change as the conflict in the region continues.

'Ali Larijani is the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, that group of gangsters that effectively runs Iran. Alongside him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij - they are the gangsters' assistants who are terrorising the population in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities. We are operating there as well, operating from the air with Air Force jets and UAVs. We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it,' Netanyahu said.

He stated that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump, adding that Israeli and American forces were cooperating through both direct and indirect means against the Islamic Republic.

'It will not happen all at once, and it will not happen easily. But if we persist, we will give them the chance to take their destiny into their own hands. At the same time, we are helping our American friends in the Gulf. I spoke at length with President Trump on this matter yesterday. There is cooperation between our air forces and navies and between President Trump and his staff and me. We will assist both through indirect attacks, which create immense pressure on the Iranian regime, and through direct actions. There are many more surprises. 'By stratagems, you shall make war.' We will not reveal all the stratagems here, but as I told you, there are many,' the Israeli PM said.

Earlier today, the IDF, in separate statements on X, confirmed the death of Larijani, who has served as Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and played a key role in suppressing anti-government protests.

It also confirmed the killing of Soleimani, stating he led the Basij unit responsible for 'repression operations' involving arrests and use of force against demonstrators.

'Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the regime's effective leader, has been eliminated. Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,' the IDF post read.

'Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years. Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators,' the IDF stated in a separate post.

Both were killed in the same series of overnight strikes by the IDF on Tehran. (ANI)