An Aerospace Force Officer of the Revolutionary Guard Killed in Drone Attack in Syria

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that one of its Aerospace Force officers has died from injuries sustained in an airstrike in Syria. Tehran claims that this attack was carried out by a coalition led by the United States. Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, introduced Ahmadreza Afshari as one of the 'aerospace industry specialists of the Guard in Syria' who was killed due to injuries from the air bombardment. Government officials and media of the Islamic Republic refer to members of the Revolutionary Guard operating in Syria as 'advisors,' but most of them are members of the Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Revolutionary Guard, and play a crucial role in keeping Iranian-affiliated proxy groups active. In his 'condolence message,' Hossein Salami stated that Ahmadreza Afshari was injured during the 'coalition forces' attack on Syria in the first half of Mordad and was transferred to Iran for medical treatment, but due to the severity of his injuries, he died on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, previously reported the death of five Iran-backed militants in Syria due to a drone attack in Deir ez-Zor province. On August 21, the French news agency reported that a vehicle carrying militia groups was targeted at the Iraq-Syria border, and Reuters confirmed the deaths of five individuals in this attack based on two security sources. The incident occurred in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, where Iranian proxy forces have a significant presence and have repeatedly been targeted by the U.S. or Israel, but neither of these countries has claimed responsibility for the attack. Israel rarely confirms its attacks on Iran-backed militants. The drone attack on August 21 against Iranian-backed forces followed a drone attack on the international coalition base in 'Kharab al-Jir,' near Hasakah in northeastern Syria, which injured several American and coalition soldiers. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago, Iranian proxy forces and Hezbollah have been fighting in support of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Israel has also carried out hundreds of attacks on the bases of these forces. An airstrike attributed to Israel on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1 resulted in the deaths of several Iranian military personnel, including Mohammad Reza Zahidi, a senior commander of the Quds Force. In retaliation for this attack, Iran conducted unprecedented drone and missile strikes against Israel on April 14. Regional tensions, which had previously escalated with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, entered a new phase on July 31 with the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the extremist group Hamas, during his visit to Tehran. The Hamas group is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran has continuously threatened to take retaliatory action against Israel, and the U.S. has stated that it expects Iran to refrain from a potential military attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.