IRGC Confirms Death of One of Its Commanders in Syria

On Monday, January 29, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that one of its commanders was killed following an attack by "an Israeli helicopter" in the Quneitra region of Syria. Previously, Hezbollah Lebanon had reported on Sunday, January 28, that one commander and five members of the group were killed in an Israeli helicopter attack in the Golan Heights. According to ISNA and Fars news agencies, the IRGC's public relations stated that "Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was killed along with several members of Hezbollah Lebanon following the Israeli attack." Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the attack. The IRGC's public relations referred to Mohammad Ali Allahdadi as an "advisor" who had traveled to Syria to assist the government and people in combating Takfiri-Salafi terrorists. Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was the commander of the IRGC's Al-Ghadir Corps in Yazd province. Iranian officials refer to groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State as Takfiri-Salafi groups. The IRGC's public relations announcement noted that Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was the commander of the IRGC's Al-Ghadir Corps in Yazd province. According to Hezbollah, Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a former commander of the group, was also killed in this attack. Meanwhile, Iranian officials condemned what they termed the Israeli attack on the Golan Heights in Syria and the killing of several Hezbollah members. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, described the Israeli attack as a violation of the Syrian government's sovereignty and a continuation of Israel's collaboration with Takfiri groups. Speaking during a meeting with the Iraqi Interior Minister in Tehran, he accused Israel of using "the terrorism stream" to create a buffer zone along Israel's "fake borders." The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran commented on Hezbollah's response to the Israeli attack, stating: "Past experience shows that the resistance movement will respond to the terrorist actions of the Zionist regime with revolutionary intensity and decisiveness at the time and place of its choosing." Additionally, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated that Israel's existence depends on "creating crises, tensions, and unrest." He condemned the attack, adding: "The Zionist regime is concerned about the tranquility of the region; as the Iranian nuclear negotiations have been the main source of concern for the Zionist regime, and Netanyahu has long been trying to prevent the success of the negotiations." Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's Defense Minister, had previously stated that his country does not intervene in Syria's civil wars but will respond whenever Israel's red lines are crossed. Throughout the four years of Syria's civil war, Israel has conducted several airstrikes against the country; in each of these attacks, Israel claimed that military convoys intended for Hezbollah were targeted. Israel has mainly stated that these convoys contained advanced missiles sent by Iran to Hezbollah.