From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
IDF says it killed Basij paramilitary force chief, his deputy, other top officials
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF confirms killing Basij paramilitary force commander Gholamreza Soleimani in a strike in Iran overnight.
Soleimani was targeted while at a tent camp that was recently established by the Basij. According to the IDF, the Basij set up the camp after the military struck many of the headquarters of the paramilitary force.
In addition, the strike also killed the deputy commander of the Basij and other top officials in the paramilitary force, the IDF says.
The Basij is known for its role in violently suppressing anti-regime protests, and is believed to be responsible for countless deaths of Iranian civilians.
The IDF also confirms that it targeted top Iranian official Ali Larijani in Tehran overnight, although it says that it is still looking into the results of the strike, and it remains unclear if he was killed.
Meanwhile, top Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Akram al-Ajouri and other top officials in the terror group were targeted by the IDF in a strike on Wednesday, according to the military. The military believes al-Ajouri was likely killed in the strike, but says it is still working to confirm this.
The Times of Israel Community.