March 17, 2026
Iran confirms the killing of Larijani and Gholam Soleimani, and Israel threatens the leader
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) the killing of the commander of its Basij forces, Gholam Reza Soleimani, after the Israeli army announced that it had killed him in an air strike in the midst of the war with the United States over Tehran.
The Revolutionary Guard said on its website, Sepah News, “Commander Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Basij organization, was martyred in a terrorist attack” carried out by the American-Zionist enemy.
The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary in Iran, confirmed the killing of the commander of the Basij forces, Gholam Reza Soleimani.
In addition, Iran officially mourned the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, one of the main figures in the government, hours after Israel announced his death in an air strike.
A statement by the council’s secretariat said, “A servant of God has joined his Lord as a martyr… accompanied by his faithful son Murtada, the security assistant in the General Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Reda Bayat, and a group of spare protectors.”
Israel announces the killing of Larijani and Soleimani
Earlier today, Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israeli forces killed the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council. Ali Larijani, widely considered one of the most powerful figures in the country, In addition to Gholam Reza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij force, which plays a pivotal role in internal security.
The Israeli army reported in a statement that Gholam Reza Soleimani was killed in an air strike yesterday, Monday, and said in a statement that “the Basij forces are part of the armed apparatus of the Iranian terrorist regime.”
The army said: “During the internal protests in Iran, and specifically in recent periods in light of the escalation in the intensity of the demonstrations, the Basij forces – under the command of Soleimani – led the main repression operations, using excessive violence, widespread arrests, and force against civilian demonstrators.”
The Israeli army threatens the new guide
Later, the Israeli army said in a statement that in recent hours it launched strikes on “Basij forces operating from more than ten different locations throughout Tehran.” He stated that he “systematically targeted the infrastructure of the Basij leadership,” adding, “Basij forces moved their operations to new headquarters, which were later attacked.” He continued, “The recent strikes, in addition to the elimination of the commander… caused significant and permanent damage to the capabilities of the Basij unit.”
The Israeli army vowed that it is determined to track down and “neutralize” the new Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his election more than a week ago to succeed his father, who was killed at the beginning of the American-Israeli attack.
Military spokesman Yves Defren said in a televised speech, “Mojtaba Khamenei… we do not hear him, nor do we see him, but I can tell you one thing: We will continue to pursue anyone who poses a threat to Israel, and he will not escape punishment. We will track him down, find him, and neutralize him.”
