New Delhi, March 18 -- Iran's judiciary-linked Mizan news agency on Tuesday (March 17) confirmed the killing of Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij force. Soleimani had long been accused of overseeing crackdowns on dissent and was sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and others.

Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said both Soleimani and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, were "eliminated last night."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were aimed at weakening Iran's leadership.

"We are undermining this regime to give the Iranian people the opportunity to remove it," he said.

Iran has not confirmed or denied the reported killin...