Iranian regime confirmed Friday October 23, 2015that one of its generals was killed late Thursday during clashes in central Syria, bringing the total number of top Iranian officials killed in action in the war-torn country this week to eight, according to state-controlled news reports.
Brig. Gen. Reza Khavari, a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is actively working to combat rebels seeking to depose Bashar al-Assad, “was martyred in clashes” with opposition forces, some of which are being armed by the United States.
At least seven other IRGC members part of the country’s Ansar Corps, which carries out clandestine activities outside Iran borders, have also been killed in Syria in the past two days.
Iran has publicly boosted its presence in the country since finalizing a nuclear accord with global powers earlier this year. Russia also has been actively running military operations in the country in the hope of bolstering Assad.
The IRGC confirmed a total of eight deaths this week.
Another IRGC leader killed in Syria had served as a bodyguard for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of the Islamic Republic.
Three other IRGC leaders killed this week were “veteran commanders,” according to the report.
