"Martyred by ISIS"

10 October 2015 | 01:47 Code : 1952766 General category

Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani, who was killed in action on Friday, was a key strategist of the Revolutionary Guards.

(Photo: Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani explaining the state of war in Syria to fellow IRGC commanders.)

Iranian media were still occupied with reports of Russian missiles fired into ISIS territory in Syria when the news of Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani's death on the outskirts of Aleppo broke out.

Initial reports on his death that were released in the early hours of Friday were denied by the Revolutionary Guards, but confirmed a few hours later. The IRGC admitted that he "has been martyred by Daesh terrorists." During his years of service in the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Hamedani held several key positions including Commander of Ground Forces Headquarters and Senior Advisor to the IRGC commander.

Messages of condolence by President Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Head of the National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani show the standing of Gen. Hossein Hamedani, and the significance of his mission in Syria.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif praised Hamedani, who "fought against terrorism, extremism and occupation intelligently and diligently in his advisory mission" in Syria. Shamkhani, who knew Hossein Hamedani from the years of war with Saddam Hussein, called him an "able strategist". "His martyrdom … will be a great loss for the Resistance Front," the Head of the National Security Council added.

A speech by the late general in early 2015 can shed light on his viewpoints as a senior IRGC member: "Our enemies once assigned Saddam [Hussein] to fight against us, and now [they have assigned] Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi; but we should not forget our major enemy, Imperialism and the Zionist regime," he said, adding that Iran's conflicts with the enemy are now extended as far as the Mediterranean coast and Horn of Africa.

"Daesh is coming to an end," he said last month. "You can recognize that by looking at how its supporting countries behave." The general's prophecy may come true, with Moscow getting fully on board with Tehran and Damascus in war against ISIS, even if he is not there to celebrate.