Israel Claims To Have Killed Iran's Basij Commander. Who Are The IRGC-Backed Paramilitary Forces?

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 17:17 IST

The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force under Iran’s IRGC, founded by former Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution.

Israel on Tuesday claimed it had killed Iran’s powerful national security chief Ali Larijani, along with Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Republic’s Basij paramilitary force. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a televised statement that he had been informed by Israel’s military chief that both officials “were eliminated last night".

If confirmed by Tehran, the death of Larijani would mark the highest-profile assassination since the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures during the wave of US-Israeli strikes that began the war on February 28.

Israel’s military announced that Soleimani was killed in a precise air strike in Tehran. “Yesterday (Monday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, targeted and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years," the military said.

The Basij, it added, “led the main repression operations" by Iranian authorities during recent mass protests.

Who Are The Basij?

The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), founded by former Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution.

According to Al Jazeera report, the force operates local branches across Iranian cities and is frequently deployed on the front lines of protests to maintain internal security.

It recruits civilians motivated by devotion to the country, though analysts note that some young men also join for economic benefits or privileges. The force is considered deeply ideological and is often made up of young, working-class men.

Estimates from the Institute for the Study of War put Basij personnel at around 450,000, including members handling communications and sociocultural programmes.

The Basij has played a major role in suppressing uprisings, including the 2009 Green Revolution and the 2022–23 Woman, Life, Freedom protests. It was established on 30 April 1980 and originally accepted volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45, though hundreds of thousands—including children as young as 12 and elderly men—joined during the Iran–Iraq War.

West Asia War Escalates

The war, now in its third week, has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, 850 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel, according to official figures. The US military reports 13 American service members have died and roughly 200 have been wounded.

The conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a wider war across West Asia.

Khamenei was replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts and health remain subject to speculation.

(With inputs from agencies)

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