'We Eliminated Ali Larijani': Netanyahu in Video Message, Hints At 'Surprises', Asks Israelis to Ignore 'Channels of Gloom'

Tel Aviv: Hours after the Israeli ​military targeted ⁠Iran's ​security chief ​Ali Larijani in overnight airstrikes raising speculation whether the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's key aide has been killed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came out with a video message asserting that Larijani has been “eliminated.” 

“This morning we eliminated Ali Larijani. Ali Larijani is the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the gang of gangsters that actually runs Iran. Alongside him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij—the henchmen of the gangsters, who spread terror in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities against the population," Netanyahu said in his post on X.

Netanyahu said that his forces are currently operating in Iran to “undermine” the regime, so that the Iranian people get a chance to overthrow the regime.

Admitting that the operation is not going to be easy, he said, “If we persist in this—we'll give them the opportunity to take their fate into their own hands.”

Sharing some details about the situation in the Middle East, Netanyahu said, “We're helping our American friends in the Gulf. I had a long conversation with President Trump yesterday on this matter. There's cooperation between our air forces and navies, between me and President Trump and his people.” 

“We'll help both with indirect attacks, which create immense pressure on the Iranian regime, and with direct operations,” he added. 

‘Plenty of Surprises’

The Israeli Prime Minister also shared that the war in Iran is not direct but is being waged with tricks. “We'll help both with indirect attacks, which create immense pressure on the Iranian regime, and with direct operations. There are still plenty of surprises. We won't reveal all the stratagems here, but I told you: there are many of them,” he added, emphasising that the most important attribute that would play a key role in winning the war is “determination.”

“The most important thing to win a war is determination. Determination, determination, determination. Determination of the leaders, determination of the commanders, determination of the people. We are determined to win, and we will achieve these things,” Netanyahu said in his message.

‘Ignore Channels of Gloom’

Netanyahu said that in order to win the war in Iran, Israelis need to ignore all “channels of gloom”. Pointing out that Israel has turned the situation around after October 7, 2025, coming back from the “brink of the abyss” to rise a “mighty power”,  he urged his countrymen to “stay strong.”

“We, with God's help, have reached a situation after October 7th, when we were on the brink of the abyss, and now we are a mighty power, almost a global one, with the friend who is the global superpower, fighting shoulder to shoulder. That's already a tremendous achievement in the face of all the threats that will come upon us. What other country has these capabilities? They're all under attack here. Who has our strengths, the strengths of the alliances, of the IDF, of the Air Force, and of a strong people? So stay strong,” he said.

He assured all Israelis of compensation during the war as said that they will sail through the crisis just as they did during the pandemic.

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