Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 8
By Umid Niayesh- Trend:
Two Iranian members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have reportedly been killed in Syria, increasing Tehran's death toll to 42.
Mohammad Hosseinkhani and Mousa Jamshidian were members of the IRGC killed near Aleppo, according to Iranian media.
Jamshidian was an IRGC Major, while no information was published about Hosseinkhani's military rank, Fars news agency reported Nov. 8.
The two IRGC members were killed while participating in the "Muharram" military operation, which is underway near Aleppo in northern Syria.
The Syrian army, backed by the Russian Air Force, IRGC and Lebanon's Hezbollah, launched the massive "Muharram" operation on October 15, aimed at taking over control of Aleppo.
Explaining the Islamic Republic's increasing casualties in Syria, Hossein Salami, deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said on Oct. 26 that Iran has expanded its presence in Syria, in terms of "quantity and quality."
IRGC Spokesman General Ramezan Sharif said on Oct. 23 that the IRGC has increased its number of advisors in Syria, following government victories on multiple fronts across the nation.
Tehran has always expressed support for the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Islamic Republic views the Syrian regime as its main strategic ally in the region, as well as part of an "axis of resistance" against Israel.
However, Western countries accuse Iran of running military operations in Syria, though Tehran denies such accusations. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they only provide military consultations to Syrian forces.
The Western media recently reported that Iran has sent hundreds of troops to northern and central Syria, after reports that up to 2,000 soldiers are to be deployed