Was an IRGC officer really killed near the Syria-Iraq border?
The incident is one of many like this that form part of the narrative of what is, or is not, happening in the shadowy “war between the wars” in Syria.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANMilitary units of the IRGC Ground Force are seen as they launched war games in the Gulf, December 22, 2018(photo credit: HAMED MALEKPOUR/TASNIM NEWS AGENCY VIA REUTERS)
Just days after the high-profile killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a nuclear scientist and general, another Iranian officer was killed in the far-off desert sands between Iraq and Syria. He was supposedly killed sometime in the evening between Saturday and Sunday, November 28-29.Reuters and other media outlets reported the news. He allegedly was involved in procurement of weapons. Several others may have been killed, according to the reports.But there were few details: no name of the man, no reports in Iran and denials in the border area. It’s the Middle East, though, and it took place in an area of the border that is difficult to get to and where there is no free media.That means truth and fiction blend together. Rumors spread. Agendas can be set by people who feed information to online media with the goal of laundering it through other reports.Many have chimed in as to what may have happened or not happened. The incident is interesting because it is one of many like this that form part of the narrative of what is, or is not, happening in the shadowy “war between the wars” in Syria. This refers to airstrikes on Iranian and Iranian-allied groups in Syria.Israel had carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Gadi Eisenkot said in January 2019. It is almost two years since that number was announced.In August 2017, former IAF commander Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amir Eshel said Israel had struck arms convoys in Syria nearly 100 times. Most airstrikes in Syria are reported, but no one takes responsibility for them, leaving a lack of clarity as to whether they took place and who carried them out. The US, Russia, Turkey and the Syrian regime all have air-force assets in Syria, although they operate in different areas.It is hard to keep track. Last Thursday, reports indicated that an airstrike in Syria had killed 19 pro-Iranian militia members. That strike took place near Albukamal, a Syrian border city across from Al-Qaim in Iraq. Iran has a base there called Imam Ali. Revealed in 2019 and struck several times, new tunnels were built there in May 2020. There was an airstrike on that base the previous March. The US carried out large “training airstrikes” near its Tanf garrison in Syria near the Jordanian border in late November.Questions remain about the killing of the IRGC officer. Evan Kohlmann, who follows the region, wrote on Twitter that a photo of the killing was actually from earlier this year. The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected that story. But Reuters said two Iraqi security officials confirmed the details. The vehicle carrying weapons was hit with an airstrike after it entered Syria, it reported.Iran uses this corridor to traffic weapons to Syria and then to Hezbollah. Al-Arabiya said the man’s name was Muslim Shahdan. However, many sources who are close to Iran throughout the region were skeptical.
One expert who follows events in Iraq wondered why major outlets had posted this story with little evidence. Sources on the Iraqi side did not post video or images. There were also questions about why reports indicated a “drone” had been used. Who uses drones in this area? Primarily the US. But America does not carry out airstrikes on the IRGC.The last time the US did conduct airstrikes there was during tensions with pro-Iranian militias in Iraq in December 2019 and March 2020. The December strikes were in response to rocket fire that killed a US contractor in Iraq. But there was no indication this was the case last month.That leaves many questions about the reports. There is no doubt that there have been airstrikes in the past against pro-Iranian groups and facilities in Syria. Very rarely are Iranians killed. There are thought to be fewer than 1,000 Iranian IRGC personnel in Syria. But there are thousands of pro-Iranian militias.Precision strikes in Syria frequently target Iranian infrastructure but not personnel. When a Hezbollah member was killed in July, the terrorist group vowed revenge against Israel, illustrating the precarious nature of airstrikes in Syria and the resulting response when those strikes may harm personnel from Iran or Hezbollah.
