Iran confirms death of Basij force commander

Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Basij force, was killed on Tuesday in attacks carried out by the United States and Israel, Iranian state media reported.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the revolutionary guards as saying Soleimani was killed in an “attack by the American-Zionist enemy.”

Soleimani, who had led the Basij for six years, oversaw Iran’s internal security operations and was a central figure in the country’s paramilitary structure.

The Basij, affiliated with the IRGC, comprises approximately 450,000 volunteers and plays a key role for the regime in maintaining domestic order.

Soleimani joined the IRGC at a young age and served as a battalion commander during the Iran–Iraq War.

He later assumed leadership of multiple units in the IRGC before taking charge of the Basij in 2019.

He was considered a staunch supporter of the Iranian government and had been targeted by sanctions from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Israeli authorities confirmed earlier on Tuesday that they had carried out the operation resulting in Soleimani’s death.