Israel claims to have killed Iran’s Basij chief in overnight strike

ISTANBUL

The Israeli military claimed Tuesday to have killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij forces, in an airstrike in the country.

A military statement said that Soleimani was “eliminated” in an overnight strike on Monday.

Israeli media earlier reported that Soleimani and Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani were the targets of overnight strikes carried out by Israel.

There was no immediate response from the Iranian authorities to the claim.

Israel and the US have continued joint attacks on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

⁠Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.