Iranian casualties rise in Syria as Tehran ramps up role

The vehicle carrying Iranian Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani was passing through the outskirts of Aleppo on the afternoon of October 8 when it was shot up by Islamic State fighters.

 

Hamedani was hit in the left eye by a bullet and died after the driver lost control of the vehicle. He was the most senior Revolutionary Guard commander to be killed in Syria to date and also one of a growing number of Iranian military personnel to lose their lives there.

 

The death of Hamedani, who played a vital role in Iranian military efforts in Syria, was described by a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Revolutionary Guards and published by the Entekhab news site in mid-October.

 

It was an event that marked the start of a new development in Iran’s military involvement in Syria, where experts believe Tehran may have as many as 3,000 troops.

 

Since early October, nearly 100 Revolutionary Guard fighters or military advisers, including at least four senior commanders, have been killed there, according to a tally from Iranian websites.

 

That is only slightly less than half of all the casualties suffered by the Guard in Syria since the beginning of 2012, when death notices began to appear.

 

Read More: Iranian casualties rise in Syria as Tehran ramps up role – Middle East – Jerusalem Post