In a significant escalation, Israel has announced the death of Iran’s security chief, Gholamreza Soleimani, following targeted airstrikes. This move comes amid heightened tensions as the Iranian government intensifies its crackdown on domestic protests.

The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Tuesday that Soleimani, who led the Basij, a volunteer force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tasked with quelling protests, was killed in a strategic airstrike conducted on Monday. Soleimani, believed to be in his early sixties, had served as the Basij commander for six years, playing a pivotal role in suppressing dissent and facilitating mass arrests across Iran.

In response to the ongoing unrest, Iranian security forces have been rounding up individuals suspected of collaborating with foreign governments. Simultaneously, they have issued chilling threats of severe consequences, including death, to deter potential demonstrators from taking to the streets.

The atmosphere in Tehran remains tense, with reports of armed regime enforcers on motorcycles patrolling the city. Many residents are choosing to stay indoors after dark, fearing the risk of violence, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Security forces in Iran have arrested suspected collaborators with foreign governments, while threatening would-be protesters with death to try to quell an uprising.

Armed regime thugs on motorcycles have been spotted patrolling the streets in the capital Tehran, where residents rarely leave their homes at night for fear of attack, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The men, usually in plainclothes with their faces covered, have also set up security checkpoints across cities in Iran, routinely stopping and searching vehicles.

At least 500 people have been arrested in Iran since the start of the war on Feb. 28, accused of sharing information with international media or enemy forces, the commander of Iran’s police force, Ahmad-Reza Radan, said on Sunday.

Israel also announced Tuesday that it had killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani, days after he goaded President Trump in a live interview.

Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was taken out days after joining Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Friday for a rally.

“It’s clear they’re running out of steam,” Larijani told a TV interviewer in reference to Operation Epic Fury. “Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand that the Iranian nation is mature and determined.”