Publication of Alleged IRGC Images Regarding Missile Attack on 'ISIS Base' in Syria

On Tuesday, October 1, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran published images, which this organization claims show the site of missile strikes on an 'ISIS base' in Syria. The IRGC released photos of three large buildings before and after the attack. According to these images, a significant portion of these three buildings was destroyed following the mentioned attack. In the photos, several vehicles are parked next to the buildings. The IRGC did not disclose how it obtained these images. Meanwhile, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, announced that these missiles hit the eastern Euphrates region. According to Hajizadeh, this area has 'natural defenses' due to the Euphrates River and is also a no-fly zone protected by coalition aircraft (the U.S. coalition against ISIS). He stated that this operation was carried out 'using specific intelligence methods and after confirming the presence of ISIS commanders, with surprise.' Additionally, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, remarked that 'Mr. Bolton said to take us seriously; the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force took you seriously and launched missiles three miles from you. Now you tell us what ISIS and terrorist groups are doing three miles from you?' John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, had warned Iranian officials last Tuesday at a conference called 'Alliance Against a Nuclear Iran' that 'if you take any steps against us and our allies and harm our citizens [...] you will certainly face very bad consequences.' The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force also stated that '40 ISIS members' were killed in this operation, 'but the bodies are still under the rubble, and additional information will be announced in the future.' Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, described the IRGC's missile attack on Syria as 'the first stage of revenge for the Ahvaz terrorist attack' and stated that 'several ISIS commanders' were killed in this attack. Baqeri did not mention the names of the ISIS caliphate commanders who were reportedly killed in this attack. Iranian television reported that the missiles struck the town of Hajin in the city of Boukamal in Deir ez-Zor province, near the Iraqi border. This city was mentioned by Qassem Soleimani in a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on November 21, 2017, regarding the 'lowering' of the flag of the so-called Islamic State and the 'end of ISIS's dominance.' The IRGC had also carried out missile attacks on the Deir ez-Zor region in Syria after the attacks on the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini on June 28, 2017. On September 8, the IRGC also launched missile attacks on the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the city of Koy Sanjaq, Iraq.