Israeli military sources claim they killed Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Basij volunteer force. Tehran has not confirmed or denied the reports. If verified, the deaths would represent one of the highest-level assassinations in the ongoing conflict.

Quick snapshot

Age: 62. Role: Head of the Basij for about six years. Background: Veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War.

From teenage volunteer to brigadier general

Soleimani was born in 1964 in Farsan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. He joined the Iran-Iraq War as a teenage volunteer in 1981 and later entered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1982. Over the eight-year conflict he fought on front lines and served as a battalion commander in major operations such as Tariq al-Qods, Fath ol-Mobin and Beit ol-Moqaddas.

After the war, he steadily moved up the ranks. In 2006 he took command of the Saheb al-Zaman Corps in Isfahan province, overseeing local Basij units alongside IRGC combat forces. He was promoted to brigadier general in July 2017.

According to Iranian state bios, Soleimani held a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Isfahan and was a doctoral candidate preparing a thesis on Iran's Islamic history.

Running the Basij

On July 2, 2019, Iran’s Supreme Leader appointed Soleimani as head of the Basij. The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary arm under the IRGC responsible for internal security through local branches across the country. Both the Basij and the IRGC were established after the 1979 revolution.

The official brief for his appointment included "elevating the Basij and the culture of resistance," expanding armed groups and strengthening revolutionary values among young people.

What the Basij does

  • The force is estimated at around 450,000 personnel.
  • It has repeatedly been used to suppress domestic protests and unrest.
  • Notable deployments include the 2009 protests, the 2019 nationwide demonstrations and the 2022-2023 unrest after Mahsa Amini's death.
  • In January of this year, Basij units were again deployed around the country during antigovernment demonstrations that reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths.

Controversies and sanctions

Soleimani was a staunch defender of Iran’s government and, as commander of the Basij, became a target for Western sanctions. He has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada. The EU’s 2021 sanctions specifically cited the Basij’s use of lethal force against unarmed protesters.

Why he mattered in this war

As US and Israeli operations increasingly targeted Iran's internal security apparatus and militia networks, Soleimani was seen as a key figure. If the Israeli claims are confirmed, his death would be among the highest-profile killings in a conflict that has already seen top Iranian political and military figures removed.

Note: He is not related to Qassem Soleimani, the late Quds Force commander who was killed in 2020.