IRGC Commander Hossein Zarifi killed in Iranian clashes

Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed during clashes with armed men in the Saravan area of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Zarifi served as the commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Base and had been stationed in southern Sistan and Baluchestan for over a decade. According to reports from the Tasnim news agency, the IRGC stated that five members of the targeted armed group were killed and others were arrested during the operation, which involved a raid on a safe house in the Jahadabad area.

While the IRGC described the targets as members of a militant group, the specific organization has not been identified. Conflicting reports regarding casualties exist; while the IRGC reported deaths among the militants, the Baloch rights group Haalvsh, cited by Iran International, claimed that at least 13 security force members were seriously wounded. These casualty figures have not been independently verified. The Saravan region, located near the border with Pakistan, has a history of repeated clashes between Iranian security forces and various armed groups.