Israel’s military said on Tuesday it had killed senior Iranian commander Gholamreza Soleimani in a targeted strike in Tehran, while Defence Minister Israel Katz separately claimed that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was also killed. Iran has not confirmed either death. If verified, the killings would mark some of the highest-level assassinations since the war began on February 28, when United States-Israeli strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several members of his family, sharply escalating the conflict between the two sides.
Tehran Strike Claims
In a post on X, the Israeli military said its air force carried out a precision strike in central Tehran based on intelligence gathered by military intelligence, killing Gholamreza Soleimani, who had commanded Iran’s Basij paramilitary force for the past six years.
🔴 COMMANDER OF THE BASIJ UNIT ELIMINATED
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,… pic.twitter.com/aJ0dNtCFz0
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 17, 2026
Israel described the operation as a targeted attack on Iran’s internal security structure, saying the Basij played a key role in enforcing state control across the country.
Iranian authorities have not commented on the claim, and there has been no independent confirmation of Soleimani’s death.
Separately, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had also been killed in an Israeli strike. Tehran has likewise not confirmed that claim.
Role Of The Basij
According to US Treasury records, Soleimani was born in 1965 and had been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and other governments for his alleged role in suppressing dissent inside Iran.
The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary organisation operating under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Formed after the 1979 revolution, it is tasked with maintaining internal security and supporting the country’s ruling system.
The force runs local units across Iran and is often deployed during protests. It has been involved in crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations, including unrest earlier this year and the mass protests that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election.
Israeli and US strikes during the current war have repeatedly targeted IRGC-linked units and internal security forces, signalling a strategy aimed at weakening Iran’s command structure as the conflict continues.
