Fars news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), reported on Thursday, October 3 that an attempt to assassinate the IRGC's Qods Force Chief Commander, Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani has been foiled.
Citing the head of the IRGC"s fearsome Intelligence Organization, Hossein Taeb (Ta'eb), Fars said, three agents on the payroll of foreign governments were arrested for the plot.
Speaking to the 23rd Supreme Assembly of the IRGC Commanders, Taeb did not identify the three but claimed that they were hired by "Hebrew-Arab" intelligence services.
Apparently, by "Hebrew-Arab," the mid-ranking cleric meant Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Islamic Republic does not recognize Israel and has been engaged in a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in recent years.
The unidentified three were taken to "neighboring countries," for training and being prepared to assassinate Soleimani before the Fatemiyyeh Days, (January 20-February 9, 2019), Taeb claimed.
"The mercenary terrorist team was supposed to return to the country and blow up a place where Soleimani was supposed to be present for mourning ceremonies using 300-500 kg of explosives," Taeb maintained.
According to Ta'eb, the assassins planned to dig under a religious venue dedicated by Soleimani’s father and set off an explosion under the building when he was inside, and then trying to deflect blame so that it ignited an factional religious war.
Nevertheless, it is a widely known fact that Soleimani has been born to a humble family that in no way could afford to build a religious, public place.
Soleimani, 62, was born in Qanat-e Malek village, Rabor County, Kerman Province, to an impoverished peasant family. In his youth, he moved to the city of Kerman and worked as a construction worker to help repay a debt his father owed.
Islamic Republic's intelligence officials are known to have made many claims of uncovering plots and arresting terrorists but they have rarely produced any evidence ot held public trials.