Deputy Commander of the IRGC: We Must Prepare to Manage Proxy and Direct Wars

The Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) states that the Islamic Republic of Iran must prepare to manage proxy and direct wars, emphasizing that only countries with the necessary capacities to conduct war can survive. On Wednesday, November 6, Hossein Salami spoke at the 'Civil Defense Conference' in Tehran, asserting that 'the idea of war is still regarded by major powers as the most important political solution, and we have no choice but to recognize the reality of the global environment.' According to this IRGC commander, 'We must be ready to manage diverse proxy and direct wars; the Islamic Republic of Iran does not write the dictates of any foreigner and is the author of a new literature of struggle for Muslim nations.' Since the end of the eight-year war with Iraq in 1988, Iran has not engaged in any direct wars with other countries, but it is currently directly involved in the internal conflicts of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon by sending military and logistical assistance to allied governments or groups. Iran provides military support to the governments of Syria and Iraq to combat Sunni militia groups and sends aid to the Ansar Allah (Houthis) in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Recently, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Ramadan Sharif, the IRGC's public relations officer, announced that Iran has increased the number of its 'military advisors' in Syria. The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on Tuesday that Iran has fewer than 2,000 military personnel in Syria. As battles intensify in Syria, accompanied by Russian airstrikes, the number of Iranian casualties in the country has increased. Reports from official and unofficial sources in Iran indicate that over the past three weeks, more than 20 members of the IRGC, including several high-ranking commanders, have been killed in Syria. The most notable of these commanders was Hossein Hamadani, who was identified and killed near Aleppo on October 8. The IRNA news agency reported in July that since the onset of the conflict in Syria, over 400 Iranians and Afghans have been killed in the country, organized into the 'Fatemiyoun' and 'Defenders of the Shrine of Zainab' brigades. In his remarks on Wednesday, the Deputy Commander of the IRGC emphasized that 'war is part of the realities of human life throughout history. Accordingly, we believe that countries can survive only if they develop the necessary capacities to manage war.' He added, 'We must mobilize all our capabilities so that if we are again embroiled in war, we can defend all the elements that constitute our nation.' Hossein Salami claimed that Israel and the U.S. have 'attacked' 14 Islamic countries, including Sudan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Yemen, and added, 'The arsenals of the U.S. and Israel have been opened, and the clouds of war are raining down on Islamic lands.' He stated that 'the reality of war has affected all nations in all areas,' and 'if we are not prepared for war, they will not allow us to live in peace.'