A Commander and Another Revolutionary Guard Killed in Syria

A commander and another member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran have been killed in Syria. The Basij News Agency of Iran reported that "Colonel Muslim Khizab, who had years of responsibility as the commander of the Al-Zahra Battalion in the 14th Imam Hussein Division," was killed while on an "advisory mission" in Syria. The news of this IRGC commander's death was published on Sunday, October 26, but there was no mention of the date of his death or the group responsible for it. The Abna News Agency also reported on Tuesday, October 27, that Mehdi Alidoost, a member of the "Operational Division 17 Ali ibn Abi Talib" of the IRGC from Qom province, was killed during an "advisory operation" in Syria. According to this report, Mr. Alidoost is the first member of the IRGC from Qom province to be killed in Syria. Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, several IRGC commanders and members have been killed in the country. Despite this, Iranian media, officials of the Islamic Republic, and senior IRGC commanders claim that the presence of these individuals in Syria is "advisory" or for the defense of holy Shiite sites. In recent weeks, at least three IRGC commanders have been killed in Syria, one of whom was Mohsen Hamadani, a senior IRGC commander in the country. Iran is a main supporter of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, alongside Russia in the Syrian civil war. Officials of the Islamic Republic deny that Iranian military forces are present in Syria to fight against armed opponents of Bashar al-Assad, asserting that these individuals have an "advisory" role. However, multiple reports have emerged about the presence of hundreds of Iranian military personnel in Syria and their fighting alongside Hezbollah from Lebanon. In this context, the Syrian army's "advance" is supported by Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah in Aleppo.