&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Israel strike kills Iran's Basij force commander. Who was Brij Gen Gholamreza Soleimani?")
The Israeli military announced overnight strikes in the Iranian capital, Tehran, killed the commander of the Basij unit, Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, on Monday (Mar 16). The commander and his deputy had reportedly moved from the unit’s headquarters to a tent camp within the capital region following relentless attacks against the country’s leadership. This move was to avoid detection during the US and Israel’s joint military operation. Iran has not officially confirmed the death of Soleimani.
In its statement, the IDF said, “Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years. Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.”
Who is Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani?
In July 2019, Soleimani took over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Basij unit's command from Gholamhossein Gheybparvar. He was appointed by the supreme leader Ali Khamenei and led Iran's all-volunteer Basij paramilitary force.
Commander of the Basij unit for the last six years, under his leadership, and served as the regime's primary instrument of repression. The IDF noted that the unit took a significant part in the violent suppression during the protests in Iran.
Sanctions: Brig Gen Soleimani has been sanctioned by the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the European Union (EU).
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The EU imposed these sanctionson him for "serious human rights violations",highlighting his role in the 2019 crackdown in Iran. In 2022, he was banned from travelling to the UK; Canada and Australia also added him to their high-level sanctions list for his reported involvement instate-sponsored repression.
