Middle East Monitoring Desk Islamabad
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani his son,and the commander of Iran’s internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, have been martyred in Israeli strike, the SNSC secretariat confirmed.
Mohamad Elmasry, professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said the US and Israel were playing a “game of Whac-A-Mole” as they target Iranian leaders.
“There’s always another leader … so I don’t think this is going to suggest any kind of collapse of the Iranian regime,” he told Al Jazeera. “Having said that, this is very significant symbolically [and] psychologically.”
In a statement released early on Wednesday, the secretariat said “the pure souls of martyrs embraced the pure soul of the righteous servant of God, Martyr Dr. Ali Larijani, who, after a lifetime of striving for the exaltation of Iran and the Islamic Revolution, finally achieved his long-held desire.”
It added that he responded to the call of the truth and, with honor, attained the blessed status of martyrdom in the service of his homeland.
He joined the Imam of the martyrs of Ramadan, Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, his martyred teacher Ayatollah Morteza Motahari, and his martyred companions, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah and Lt General Qassem Soleimani, the statement said.
“Until the last moments of his blessed life, he pursued the exaltation of the word of Allah and was dedicated to the pride and development of beloved Iran. He consistently invited and advised the people and officials to unity and solidarity against the bloodthirsty enemy. Finally, in the dawn of (one of the days of) the holy month of Ramadan, along with his faithful son, Morteza, and … a group of his valiant guards, they attained the sublime degree of martyrdom.”
The statement went on to say that the definitive victory awaits the mujahideen on the path of truth, and these martyrdoms will make the Iranian nation and the Muslim Ummah more determined to continue on the path of these men of God.
“May his martyrdom be joyous for him, as his struggle in these years was worthy of nothing less than this great achievement. May his memory be eternal and his path be widely followed.”
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement on Tuesday that the commander of the Basij Force has been martyred in a US-Israeli terrorist attack.
“We extend our congratulations and condolences on the honorable martyrdom of the sincere mujahid, Major General Gholam Reza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij Force, in the American-Zionist enemy’s terrorist attack, to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the noble people of Iran, the valiant Basij members, and the respected family of this dear martyr,” the statement read.
“This proud commander and great figure of Islam, throughout years of dedicated service from the 8-year Sacred Defense (in the 1980s) to the present, especially during his tenure as the commander of the Basij Force, played a strategic and unparalleled role in modernizing the popular and jihadi structure of the Basij, developing constructive movements, alleviating deprivation, and aiding the downtrodden and vulnerable segments of society,” the IRGC said.
It added that this cowardly assassination highlights the significance and role of the Basij in the comprehensive battlefield against the terrorist army of America and the Zionist regime and their mercenaries, especially in this ongoing war.
“We warn the wicked and terrorist murderers of this esteemed martyr that the Basij members will never abandon seeking retribution for the blood of the martyred Leader (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei), martyred commanders, and all the people who have been martyred.”
The statement went on to say that, undoubtedly, the pure blood of these martyrs will double the will of the heroic Iranian nation and all devoted Basij members in continuing the path of resistance and struggle against global arrogance and international Zionism.
