Israel’s military said on Tuesday it had killed the head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force in a strike, while Israeli media reported Tehran’s national security chief was also targeted for assassination.
“In a precise strike in Tehran: The IDF eliminated the Commander of the Basij Unit,” The Israeli military said.
“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,” it said.
The Basij, a volunteer force under Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, “led the main repression operations” by the authorities during recent mass protests in Iran, the Israeli army said.
Israeli media also said on Tuesday that the military has targeted Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, adding that it was not immediately clear whether he was killed or injured.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani
Iran has not yet commented on the report.
Larijani on Friday openly attended a mass rally in Tehran alongside other top officials, dismissing the latest Israeli-US attacks on the capital as being “out of desperation.”
“These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn’t bomb demonstrations at all. It’s clear that it has failed,” Larijani told state TV while marching for the annual Quds Day rally in support of the Palestinian cause.
Last week, he issued a veiled threat to US President Donald Trump, warning him to be careful “not to be eliminated” and saying the Islamic Republic was not afraid of his “empty threats.”
Israeli public broadcaster Kan said that Larijani was the “target of an assassination attempt,” while television station N12 reported the results of the strike were “still being reviewed.”
There was no official confirmation from Israeli officials.
Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said “significant preventive achievements were recorded overnight” in a statement released earlier by the military.
And the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a photo of the premier on the phone, captioned: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime.”
Written with agency reports
