IRGC Officers Killed in Syria - UPDATE

UPDATE: Fars News Agency announced on Monday that three more Iranian servicemen were killed in action in Syria. With the latest casualties, the number of Iranian KIAs in Syria rises to 57 since 7 October, when a major Iran-led offensive began south of Aleppo. The table below, compiled by IranPolitics, lists the KIAs, their ranks and units if available, and dates of the announcements.

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Four IRGC officers and servicemen were killed near Aleppo in Syria in the past 48 hours. The KIAs include IRGC officer Masoud Asghari and IRGC's Fatehin Special Forces officer Ahmad Aatai. Also among the KIAs was IRGC serviceman Mostafa Mousavi, who at the age of 20 became the youngest Iranian soldier killed in action in Syria.

Top photo: The funeral of IRGC officer Masoud Asghari (Erfan Kouchari/Tasnim)
Bottom photos: Posters announcing KIAs Ahmad Aatai and the young Mostafa Mousavi
Source: Twitter/@HosseinDalirian (Tasnim)

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              Date                     Name                  Rank                       Unit                      Source
1. 7th October Hossein Hamedani   Brigadier General           -                          Fars
2. 13th October Farshad Hasounizadeh Colonel                  Saberin              Tabnak
3. 13th October Hamid Mokhtarband Colonel           1st ‘Hazrat Hojjat’ Bde        Tabnak
4. 14th October Rasoul Pourmorad                              Basij (Qazvin)              Defapress
5. 17th October Moslem Khizab         Colonel         14th Imam Hossein      Defapress
6. 18th October Nader Hamidi                                            Basij                          Tasnim
7. 19th October Majid Sanei                                  161st Imam Hossein       Fars
8. 19th October Mehdi Karami                            154th ‘Hazrate Ali Akbar’       Fars
9. 20th October Mehdi Alidoust                       17th ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib’       Abna
10. 20th October Komeil Ghorbani  1st Lieutenant     8th ‘Najaf Ashraf’ Armor         Najafabad 
11. 20th October Hassan Ahmadi 2nd Lieutenan     8th ‘Najaf Ashraf’ Armor         Najafabad 
12. 21st October Reza Damroudi                              Basij (Sabzevar)               Defapress
13. 22nd October Mohammad Estekami Jahromi 33rd airborne ‘al-Mahdi’      Defapress
14. 22nd October Hadi Shojaei                                  Basij (Chahardangeh)       Tehran News
15. 23rd October Abdollah Bagheri                            ’Ansar al-Mahdi’              Fars
16. 23rd October Amin Karimi                                      ’Ansar al-Mahdi’              Fars
17. 24th October Reza Khavari                                    Fatemiyoun division        Fars
18. 24th October Mostafa Sadrzadeh                            Fatemiyoun division        Fars
19. 24th October Seyyed Milad Mostafavi                     Basij (Hamedan)                Fars
20. 24th October Mohammad Zahiri   3rd Lieutenant        Saberin special forces     Abna
21. 25th October Seyyed Ruhollah Emadi                                                                  Fars
22. 25th October Sajad Taherniya                                Basij (Gilan)                Tnews
23. 26th October Hamidreza Daei 2nd Lieutenan       8th 'Najaf Ashraf' Armor         Najafabad
24. 26th October Pouya Izadi         2nd Lieutenant      8th 'Najaf Ashraf' Armor         Najafabad 
25. 27th October Jabar Araghi                                                                             Defapress
26. 27th October Abuzar Amjadian        Captain                                                  Abna
27. 27th October Mohammad-reza Asgari                                                                   Fars
28. 27th October Moslem Nasr         2nd Lieutenant 33rd Airborne 'al-Mahdi'   Fars
29. 28th October Mehdi Kaeini                       Fars
30. 28th October Hojjat Asghari Sharbiani                              Basij (Sarab)                  Dana
31. 29th October Hossein Jamali 3rd Lieutenant                        Saberin                  Fasaei
32. 31st October Mohammad Hossein Mirdousti 'Mohammad Rasoulollah'         Abna
33. 2nd November Hamid Fatemi                                          Basij (Khuzestan)           Fars
34. 2nd November Seyed Sajad Hosseini Captain                                                     Fars
35. 2nd November Ezzatollah Soleimani Colonel          44th 'Ghamar Bani Hashem'    Fars
36. 2nd November Ali Hosseini Alemi                                       Fatemiyoun           Fars
37. 3rd November Ismael Zahedpour                                    Basij (Kordkuy)           IRNA
38. 4th November Mohsen Fanousi                           43rd 'Imam Ali' engineering   Tnews
39. 5th November Ghadir Sarlak                                    'Mohammad Rasoulollah'   Fars
40. 5th November Ruhollah Ghorbani                                             Basij                   Fars
41. 5th November Ali Karimi                                                                                     YJC
42. 6th November Amir Ali Hoveidi                                                                             Tnews
43. 7th November Mousa Jamshidian           Major         8th 'Najaf Ashraf' Armor           Najafabad 
44. 7th November Mohammad Hossein Mohammadkhani                                             Tasnim
45. 7th November Mohammad Hossein Azizabadi                                                     Defapress
46. 8th November Seyyed Ismael Siratniya                    'Mohammad Rasoulollah'        Defapress
47. 8th November Meysam Modvari                                                                                   Fars
48. 8th November Hojatoleslam Ali Tamamzadeh Cleric                                      Defapress
49. 8th November Hamid Namdari                                                                             Tnews
50. 9th November Mohammad Tahan           Major        12th 'Mohammed al-Ghaem'   Basij News
51. 14th November Masoud Asgari                                       Basij                   Defapress
52. 14th November Ahmad Ataei                                               Basij                   Defapress
53. 14th November Mohammadreza Dehghan                                                      YJC
54. 14th November Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi                                                            YJC
55. 15th November Iman Khazaeinejad    1st Lieutenant                                      Fars
56. 16th November Mohammad Sokhandan                                                              Fars
57. 16th November Mohammad Javad Ghorbani              Basij (Shahinshahr)    Fars

Zarif Will Not Attend Syria Talks

Israeli Attack on Damascus Airport – Syria Battlefield Update

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hoosein Amir-Abdollahian said today that Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will not attend the next round of Syria talks scheduled for this weekend in Vienna. The surprise announcement did not offer reasons for Zarif’s decision not to attend.

There were speculations in Iran’s social media that Zarif will be accompanying President Rouhani on his visit to Rome and Paris this weekend, but that could be an afterthought, as Zarif was not scheduled to travel with Rouhani until today’s announcement. Abdollahian was also non-committal if the Iranian delegation without Zarif would attend the Vienna talks.

Abdollahian, who was speaking to the pro-Hezbollah al-Mayadin TV upon his arrival in Beirut, added that the United States should provide “answers regarding some unilateral actions taken by some of the sides, without consulting other participants in talks.” He said Tehran “would not tolerate actions that violate the agreement reached in the Vienna I.” It was not understood which sides and what actions Abdollahian was referring to and whether they were linked to Zarif’s boycott of the upcoming meeting.


Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus Airport

Pro-regime Syrian media reported today that Israel has launched airstrikes on Damascus International Airport on Wednesday. Photos published on Twitter allegedly show that the main terminal, with duty free shops, has been hit.

The airstrikes were reportedly launched at around 6 p.m. local time, and could have targeted weapons air shipment into the airport. The last reported Israeli strike in Syria was on 31 October, reportedly hitting a weapons convoy close to the Lebanese-Syria border in the Qalamoun Mountains region.


Syria Battlefield Update

Iran-led pro-regime forces, under the command of Quds Force Commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, scored an impressive, if symbolic, victory on Tuesday in breaking ISIL’s siege of isolated Kuweiris Airbase southwest of Aleppo. The Islamic State fighters had surrounded the government airbase for nearly two years.

The Kuweiris operation was part of a larger Iran-led offensive in Aleppo province. The main goals of the Aleppo offensive appear to be pushing back rebel strongholds southwest of Aleppo City, controlling the line of communications in the area, breaking the rebel siege of Shia villages of Nubl and Zahara, and attempting to encircle the city of Aleppo, where the opposition control eastern half of the city, as a last step before launching an assault against the opposition in east Aleppo.

The Aleppo offensive, which began in early October, brings together the Quds Force, IRGC Ground Force, Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militias, and Afghan and Pakistani Shia fighters, under Soleimani’s command, supported by Russian air power. In the first month of the offensive, Iran and its allies have suffered heavy casualties during the intense fighting.

Elsewhere in northwest of Syria, Russian-enabled Syrian government forces simultaneously started other offensives in northern Hama and southern Idlib against opposition forces. The goals appear to be pushing out the opposition from Hama province and regaining territories lost to the opposition in Idlib province in order to reduce the threat to vital government heartland of Latakia. The Idlib-Hama offensives, however, appear to be stalled at strategic Al Ghab Plain, bordering Latakia, and in Hama.

On 5 November, Jund al-Aqsa-led fighters scored a major victory against the regime and retook the town of Morek in northern Hama.

Photo credit: A scene allegedly showing a destroyed section of Damascus International Airport and its duty-free shops during an Israeli airstrike; 11 November 2015 (Twitter)

IRGC, Basij Officers Killed in Syria

IRGC-Ground Force Major Musa Jamshidian, of the 8th Najaf Ashraf Division, was killed in Syria on Sunday. He is the ninth casualty of IRGC-GF 8th Division in the past four weeks.

Also on Saturday, Basij’s Mohammad Hossein Mohammad-Khani was killed in Syria.

The latest casualties bring the total number of KIAs in the past four weeks, whens Iran began direct combat operations in Syria, to 42.

Photo: Major Musa Jamshidian, of IRGC-GF 8th Najaf Ashraf Division, killed in action in Syria on Sunday, 8 November 2015 (radiofarda)

Iran Will Oppose Overthrow of Assad - Velayati

Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said today Iran will actively take part in the new round of Syria talks, scheduled for 12 November in Vienna.

Velayati said Iran’s participation in the talks is “by no means tantamount to a retreat from its stance on Syria.” Velayati added that the Syrian government is the “best guardian” of the country, and Iran will “oppose any plan which seeks to overthrow President Assad.” (IRIB/Press TV, 7 November)

File photo: Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (IRNA)

IRGC Officers Killed in Syria - UPDATE

In the past 48 hours, five IRGC officers are reported killed in action in Syria. Their ranks were not given. 

• IRGC’s Hossein Aziz-Abadi
• IRGC’s Amir Hossein Hivedi
• IRGC’s Ruhollah Qorbani
• IRGC’s Qadir Sarlak
• IRGC’s Esmail Zadehpour

With the latest known casualties, there are now 40 IRGC officers killed in action in the past four weeks during the Aleppo offensive.

Photos from top: The late IRGC officers, Aziz-Abadi, Hivedi, Qorbani, Sarlak and Zadehpour.

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Blogger's Note: On Friday, the Iranian media reported that Brig. Gen. Ali Shalikar was killed in action in Syria. It now appears that the press misidentified the death of a retired IRGC officer by exactly the same name as that of the brigadier general. We have revised and corrected this post and offer our apologies to Gen. Shalikar and to our readers and commentators.

Below are photos from the funeral of the retired IRGC officer Ali Shalikar in the city of Amol. (Photos: Fras and Kamal news agencies)

IRGC Officer Killed in Syria

Another IRGC officer were killed near Aleppo, Syria. IRGC’s Mohsen Fanusi was killed on Tuesday. He was deployed to Syria as a military engineer attached to IRGC’s 43^rd Imam Ali Engineering. Fanusi’s rank was not given. The late Fanusi becomes the 35th IRGC officer KIA in Syria since the start of Iranian-led offensive near Aleppo early in October. 

There were also funeral announcements for three more KIAs in Syria in the past 48 hours. Their affiliation, rank or nationality (Iranians or Afghans) were not given. So we will not list them as IRGC KIAs until further information is available. Those KIAs are: Nasratollah Mohammadi, Qorbanali Ahmadi and Eshaq Moradi.

Meanwhile, the bodies of three fighters from Iran-backed Shia militia, the Fayimiyoun, who were killed near Aleppo, Syria, was carried to the holy city of Mashhad for funeral ceremonies.

Photo: IRGC’s Mohsen Fanusi, KIA in Syria on 3 November 2015 (Twitter)

IRGC Officers KIA in Syria

IRGC Colonel Ezatollah Soleimani and Captain Sajjad Hosseini were reported killed today killed in action in Syria. There has been a significant spike in the number of Iranian KIAs in Syria since 7 October, when Iran-led offensives near the city of Aleppo began. Today’s casualties bring the number of KIAs in Syria during the past three weeks to 34.

 

Top Photo: IRGC Colonel Ezatollah Soleimani pictured with Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who is commanding Iran-led offensives near Aleppo, in an undated photo. (Twitter/@dudi_cohen)

Bottom photo: Poster announcing the death of IRC Captain Sajjad Hosseini, of 15 Khordad Artillery Group, in what is described as the defense of Hazrat Zeinab holy shrine. 

  

October: Deadliest Month for Iranian Military in Syria

On Saturday, it was reported that IRGC serviceman Mohammad Hossein Mirdusti was killed in Syria. The latest report brings the number of known IRGC KIAs in Syria in the month of October to 32, including three general officers and three full colonels. (Twitter/@dudi_cohen)

Photo credit: Poster at the funeral of IRGC soldier Mohammad Hossein Mirdusti (Twitter/@dudi_cohen)

Iranian Newspaper Criticizes Iran’s Military Intervention in Syria

The Middle East Monitor today published excerpts from an editorial by the Iranian newspaper Bahar, which criticizes the country’s military intervention in Syria, a first in Iranian media.

“Iranian military leaders went to Syria for military consultations,” the newspaper said. “But we see the most of the Iranian military officers were killed in the battlefield in Aleppo.” (Bahar/middleeastmonitor.com, 29 October)

The Iranian military is leading major offensives around Aleppo in the past three weeks. More than 30 IRGC officers and servicemen have been killed in action during this period, including three general officers.

“If Iran needs to protect its interests in the region, and for this must protect the Syrian regime, Iran could support a new regime without Assad,” Bahar said.

File photo: Funeral procession for an IRGC serviceman killed in action in Syria (middleeastmonitor.com)