Death of a Commander of a Basij-Linked Force in Syria

According to reports from Iranian media, Abdollah Khosravi, the commander of the 'Fatehin' battalion, affiliated with the Basij, who was dispatched to Syria as part of the Islamic Republic's activities to defend the Syrian government, has been killed in Syria. The Tasnim news agency referred to Abdollah Khosravi, from Arak, as 'Sardar' and reported that he was killed on October 14. Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the police with the ranks of second brigadier general and full brigadier are referred to as 'Sardar' in these forces. The 'Fatehin' battalion is one of the subunits of the Basij that has forces fighting in Syria. Meanwhile, Mehdi Hedayati, the commander of the 'Fatehin' unit in Tehran, stated on October 18 that 30 members of this unit have been killed in Syria. Mohsen Kazemini, the commander of the IRGC in Tehran, had previously stated that the 'Fatehin' unit was formed after 2009 and is 'one of the exemplary units of the IRGC.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, announced last October that this organization intends to expand the 'Fatehin' battalions throughout Iran. In videos released of the activities of the Fatehin unit, its members are seen engaging in special training such as parachuting and sharpshooting. In recent years, several senior IRGC commanders, including Ahmad Gholami, Hossein Hamadani, Hamid Taghavi, Shafi Shafiei, Reza Farzaneh, Daryush Dorosti, Ismail Heydari, Hadi Kajbaf, Shaban Nasiri, Zaker Heydari, and Abdollah Eskandari have also been killed in the Syrian conflicts. Iranian media reported that the funeral for Abdollah Khosravi will be held on Thursday in Arak, and the body of Javid Hosseini from the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade' will also be buried in this ceremony. In addition to the IRGC, Basij, and the Islamic Republic Army forces present in the Syrian conflicts, Afghan forces residing in Iran as part of the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade' and Pakistani forces residing in Iran as part of the 'Zainabiyoun Brigade' are fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is said that 15 groups of Shia militias supported by Iran are engaged in fighting in Syria and Iraq. The IRGC has repeatedly stated that the presence of its commanders in Syria and Iraq is 'advisory' and that the Islamic Republic has sent forces to these countries at the request of Bashar al-Assad and the Iraqi government. In contrast, critics within Iran have harshly criticized the actions of Qassem Soleimani and the Quds Force in the region, attributing the emergence of ISIS to 'the mismanagement of Qassem Soleimani.' For instance, Mehdi Khazali, a political critic, stated in a video last year that if Qassem Soleimani had not been present in Syria, 'there would be no ISIS in Syria now.' In this context, the funeral of Mohsen Hajji, 'a victim of ISIS,' was held in Tehran. The IRGC's drones 'attacked an ISIS convoy.' Al-Mayadeen reported that the IRGC has begun operations in Syria; the IRGC stated that they have not conducted independent operations. The reaction of the Quds Force commander to the killing of an IRGC member by ISIS. The changing battlefield of 'proxy forces'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: a horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran.