A Senior Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Killed in Attacks by Bashar al-Assad's Opponents in Syria

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reported the death of Kiomars Pourhashemi, known as 'Haj Hashem' and one of the senior military advisors of the IRGC in Syria. In a statement released on Thursday, December 8, the IRGC's public relations identified Kiomars Pourhashemi as a 'defender of the shrine' with the rank of 'Brigadier General,' who was killed during attacks on Wednesday night by 'Takfiri terrorists.' According to reports, this senior IRGC commander was killed during the attacks by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a group opposing Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo. These extensive attacks led to the deaths of dozens, and according to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, they were a response to 'increased Russian and Syrian airstrikes on civilian areas in southern Idlib.' Reuters, citing military sources and fighters from Tahrir al-Sham, reported that on Wednesday, this group launched a large-scale military operation against the Syrian army in the last area under opposition control in northern Syria and for the first time in several years managed to capture areas. The United States officially designated this group as a terrorist organization in 2018, and most countries consider Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham to be terrorist. A source in the operations room managed by a coalition of rebel groups led by Tahrir al-Sham claimed in an interview with Reuters that during this operation, at least 10 areas controlled by Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, in the northwestern province of Aleppo were captured by Tahrir al-Sham. A Syrian army source also stated that the rebels advanced about 10 kilometers in the outskirts of Aleppo and reached a few kilometers from the two Shiite towns of Nubl and Zahra, where Hezbollah forces, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, have a strong presence. These fighters also attacked the military airport of Nayrab in eastern Aleppo, where pro-Iran militias have bases. The Syrian army, in its first statement after this 'surprising' attack, announced that heavy losses were inflicted on the fighters, whom they referred to as 'terrorists.' The Syrian army stated that in cooperation with Russia and 'friendly forces,' whose names were not mentioned, they are trying to retake lost areas and restore the situation to its previous state. According to two military sources speaking to Reuters, Russian fighter jets have bombed the newly captured areas by Tahrir al-Sham and targeted populous cities in the last area under opposition control. The rescue services managed by the opposition, known as the 'White Helmets,' announced that at least 16 civilians were killed in the city of 'Atarib' in western Aleppo, which is under rebel control, during the bombing of residential areas by Russian fighters. Local residents and witnesses also reported that the main Aleppo-Damascus highway has been closed due to the clashes. Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham is one of the Islamist groups involved in the Syrian civil war, formed in late January 2017 from the merger of several Salafi groups, including the al-Nusra Front. The Wednesday attack by these Islamist fighters is considered the largest operation since March 2020. At that time, Russia, a supporter of Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, reached a ceasefire agreement to end years of conflict. These conflicts have caused millions of Syrians opposing Bashar al-Assad's government to become displaced. Developments in Syria began less than 24 hours after the ceasefire in Lebanon started, and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham launched its operation aiming to capture the city of Aleppo.