Breaking: Iran confirms Basij commander Soleimani killed in Israeli strike

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has officially acknowledged the death of Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij militia, in what it condemned as a “cowardly assassination” by US and Israeli forces, as the 18-day-old conflict shows no signs of abating.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the IRGC confirmed that Major General Soleimani was killed in a targeted strike, praising his “strategic decades-long service” and his efforts to modernise the volunteer force.

The military body emphasised that the assassination “indicates the importance and role of the Basij in the all-out battlefield against the terrorist US army and the Zionist regime, especially in the recent war.”

The Israeli military earlier claimed responsibility, announcing it had conducted a “wide-scale wave of strikes” across the Iranian capital and killed the Basij commander in a precision operation.

The Israel Defense Forces stated that Basij forces under Soleimani’s command had “led the main repression operations, employing severe violence, widespread arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators” during internal protests in Iran.

Soleimani, born in 1965 according to US Treasury records, had been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and other nations for his role in suppressing dissent through the Basij over many years.

The Basij is a vast volunteer paramilitary force, estimated to have up to one million members, that operates under IRGC control and has frequently been deployed to crush domestic protests.

His death represents a significant blow to Iran’s internal security apparatus. The Basij and other internal security forces have been repeatedly targeted by American and Israeli operations since the conflict began, and the loss of their commander will likely further strain the regime’s ability to maintain control over the population.

The Israeli military said its strikes on Monday targeted Basij forces in “more than 10 different locations” across Tehran.

The operation was part of a broader campaign that also hit command centers, missile launch sites and air defense systems in the capital, as well as in Shiraz and Tabriz .

The confirmation of Soleimani’s death comes as the war enters its third week, with hostilities spreading across the Middle East. Iran has kept up pressure on Gulf Arab neighbours, striking energy infrastructure and shipping in the region.