Who is Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Basij forces?

"The Israeli military claims to have killed Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran's Basij paramilitary forces. The 65-year-old was the commander of the country's most powerful internal security forces for the past six years and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, having fought on the front lines."

"If confirmed, Soleimani and Larijani would be the highest-level killings since Israeli and United States strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his top aides on the first day of the war on February 28. As US and Israeli forces increasingly target the Basij and other military apparatuses, Soleimani had emerged as a central figure in a war that has seen Iran's top political and military figures killed."

"His military career was forged in the trenches of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. In the spring of 1981, Gholamreza Soleimani deployed to the Shush front lines at the Iraq border as a teenage volunteer. Over the gruelling eight-year conflict, he participated in several major offensives, including Operations Tariq al-Qods, Fath ol-Mobin and Beit ol-Moqaddas, serving as both a fighter and a battalion commander."

The Israeli military claims to have killed Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, the 65-year-old head of Iran's Basij paramilitary forces, and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an overnight strike. Soleimani commanded Iran's most powerful internal security forces for six years and was a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. If confirmed, these killings would represent the highest-level deaths since Israeli and US strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28. Tehran has not confirmed or denied the deaths. Soleimani, born in 1964, forged his military career during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, participating in major offensives and serving as both fighter and battalion commander before joining the IRGC in 1982.

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