The Number of IRGC Casualties in Recent Operations in Syria Reaches at Least 42

With the death of a Revolutionary Guard colonel and a Basij commander, the number of Iranian forces killed in Syria in the new operation against Bashar al-Assad's opponents, named 'Operation Muharram', has reached at least 42. Fars News Agency reported on Sunday, November 8, that Colonel Mousa Jamshidian, from the 8th Najaf Ashraf Division of the Revolutionary Guard, was killed in the clashes in Syria. According to this report, Mr. Jamshidian is the ninth member of the 8th Najaf Ashraf Division to be killed in Syria. The report also states that Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi Khani was killed in Syria on Saturday; news websites referred to Mr. Mohammadi Khani as the former head of the student Basij at Yazd Azad University. Previously, the Mashregh News website had reported the deaths of Mohammad Hossein Azizabadi and Amir Hossein Heyoudi from the Revolutionary Guard, stating that the number of Iranian casualties in 'Operation Muharram' in Syria had reached at least 40. 'Operation Muharram' is an operation that began at the beginning of the month of Muharram, supported by Russian air forces, conducted by the Syrian army, Revolutionary Guard units, and Hezbollah to reclaim the city of Aleppo in Syria. Reports indicate that among those who have died during this operation are Hossein Jamali, Ezzatollah Soleimani, Ismail Zahedpour, Mohsen Fanousi, Qadir Sarlak, Rouhollah Ghorbani, Moslem Nasr, Khanali Youssefi, Moslem Khizab, Mehdi Alidoost, Abdollah Bagheri, Milad Mostafavi, Sajjad Tahernia, Rouhollah Emadi, Amin Karimi, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Ahmad Estahkami, Nader Hamid Deilami, Majid Sanaei Mofagh, Mojtaba Karami, and Reza Damrudi. Meanwhile, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard, cited the increase in Iranian casualties in Syria as a result of the increase in the 'quantity and quality' of Iranian military personnel in the country. Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, stated on Saturday that the presence of the Islamic Republic's military forces in Syria is 'not aimed at participating in the war.' He added, 'If Iraq, Yemen, and other neighboring countries collapse, what will happen at Iran's borders? This is where Iran's presence for advisory purposes in countries like Syria and Iraq becomes necessary and essential.' Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized that the Revolutionary Guard forces in Syria are only carrying out 'advisory missions.' However, Western media had previously reported the presence of at least two thousand Iranian forces alongside the Syrian army and Bashar al-Assad's allies, including members of Hezbollah.