A commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed after he was suspected of espionage, a Saudi report published Thursday said.
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The Saudi-backed Iran International cited sources who said a member of IRGC's elite Quds Force Unit 840, Col. Ali Esmailzadeh, died after falling off the roof of his home in Karaj on May 30.
Esmailzadeh was a close colleague of Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, the Quds Force leader who was killed by two motorcyclists on May 22.
Esmailzadeh was taken to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
IRGC officials told his family that the death was a suicide, noting the psychological toll of his separation from his wife. Esmailzadeh also left a note, they said.
Iran International's sources said that Khodaei was killed, the IRGC investigated possible security leaks from within the Quds Force.
After Esmailzadeh raised suspicions, the IRGC decided to eliminate him by staging his suicide.
Some reports placed the blame for Khodaei's killing on Israel, which was echoed by Iranian leaders. Threats against Israelis spiked after the killing, with Israel warning its citizens against traveling to Turkey due to threats from Iran.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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