The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it has killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the long-time commander of Iran’s paramilitary Basij force, in a precision airstrike in the heart of Tehran.
The operation targeted a “combat tent” where Soleimani and other officials were reportedly hiding to avoid detection after their permanent headquarters were destroyed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the deaths of Soleimani and senior official Ali Larijani, stating they “have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell.”
The IDF emphasized that the strike was based on exact intelligence, noting that “under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran employing severe violence” against civilians.
Military Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir added that “significant preventive achievements were recorded overnight,” as Israel continues to target the “head of the octopus” to disrupt the Iranian regime’s leadership.
While Israel has released photos of Prime Minister Netanyahu authorizing the mission, Iranian state media has yet to officially confirm the deaths though they acknowledged that a statement would be forthcoming.
