Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 10
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
A recent statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari indicates the decisive role of the Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani, who was killed in Syria on Oct. 8.
"If not for Hamedani, Damascus was gone long ago," Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted Jafari as saying.
"Syrian government and people are indebted to Hamedani," Jafari stressed.
Hamedani was reportedly killed Oct. 8 evening by the "Islamic State" (IS, aka ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has unveiled more details about the IRGC commander's killing.
"He was in a reconnaissance mission near Aleppo to provide accurate consultation services to Syrian government forces when he was attacked," Shamkhani said.
Shamkhani added that Hamedani was carrying out his task anonymously, but for a moment he was identified and his car was attacked.
Three people were accompanying the Iranian commander at the moment of attack, according to Shamkhani.
He further said the killed commander has served as a military adviser for a long period in some parts of Syria, including Aleppo.
Senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have delivered their condolences with regard to the demise of the country's senior commander.
Tehran has always expressed support for the government of the Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The Islamic Republic views the Syrian regime as its main strategic ally in the region and as a part of an "axis of resistance" against Israel.
Western countries accuse Iran of running military operations in Syria, but Tehran denies the accusations. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they only provide military consultation to the Syrian forces.
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