Two senior Iranian commanders killed in Syria

Mokhtarband and Hassounizadeh were killed while assisting the Bashar Assad regime in its battle against ISIL, according to reports by the Tasnim and Fars news agencies and Press TV. Supreme Council for National Security Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, Majlis Chairman Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also publicly expressed condolences.

Iran has in the past denied sending troops to Syria. Several have died in recent years, a few of them allegedly killed by Israel.

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s special operations forces, appears to have been urging on an Alawite militia, which may be preparing to join a Syrian Arab Army attack on Jisr al-Shughour. During the Iran-Iraq War he headed IRGC’s commands in various sectors of western Iran.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign wing, Major General Qassem Soleimani, is said to be heavily involved in guiding military strategy. As IRGC commander of Greater Tehran Hamedani was responsible for suppressing the riots that broke out after the presidential elections in the summer of 2009.

The Minister also affirmed that the ideas posed by Iran regarding counter-terrorism and the political solutions for the crisis in Syria are appreciated and heeded by the Syrian government. According to the news service, Soleimani was “addressing Iranian officers and Hezbollah fighters with a microphone, wearing dark clothes as he spoke to the men in camouflage”.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian warplanes conducted at least 15 airstrikes on the edge of the rebel-held town of Talbiseh and nearby areas, killing 10 people including six opposition fighters. “The idea is to formalise the relationship with Iran, Russian Federation and Syria”.

Speaking to reporters, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said both Russian Federation and Iran need to be at the negotiating table.

Their arrival, a regional official and Syrian activists said Wednesday, highlights the far-reaching goals of Russia’s military involvement in Syria.

In a 2014 article, The Wall Street Journal said that Hamdani was a “recognized authority and strategist in Iran for fighting separatist movements and guerrilla urban war”.