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The Israeli military claimed Tuesday that it killed Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij forces, in an overnight airstrike.
A military statement said Soleimani was “eliminated” in a strike carried out late Monday.
“Yesterday (Monday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, targeted and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years,” the Israeli military said.
It described the killing as a “significant blow” to Iran’s “command-and-control structures” and said it would “continue to act with force” against Iranian commanders.
Soleimani has headed the Basij forces since 2019, a paramilitary volunteer militia under the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with an estimated 450,000 personnel. He faced sanctions from multiple Western countries and organizations, including the United States, the European Union.
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Israeli media earlier reported that Soleimani and senior Iranian top security official Ali Larijani were among the targets of the overnight strikes.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Tuesday that Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike.
In a statement released by his office, Katz alleged that Larijani and the Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani were “eliminated” in overnight strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
The developments come as Israel and the United States have continued joint attacks on Iran since Feb. 28.
The strikes have killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian authorities.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
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