IRGC Commander was Latest to be Killed in Syria

Razi Mousavi, also known as Seyyed Razi, a prominent commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria on December 24. 

While other commanders of his rank, including Hassan Shateri, have been killed by Israeli forces in Syria before, Mousavi’s death has significant strategic implications in the context of the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Israel’s attack on Iranian positions in Damascus and the killing of Mousavi is a response to recent attacks by the Yemeni Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea and Iranian proxy forces’ attacks on American bases in Iraq. 

The Islamic Republic faces limitations in its response due to concerns about escalating the conflict.

Association with Suleimani

Mousavi was born in the village of Chashem in central Semnan province. During the Iran-Iraq war he was active in the Zanjan unit of the IRGC. 

He had been travelling to Syria and Lebanon since the 1980s. In his last position he was responsible for supporting and managing logistics for the Quds force, the overseas branch of the IRGC in Syria.

Arab media aligned with Iran reported that Mousavi was involved in the “Sahara” operation in the Damascus suburbs against opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Mousavi oversaw the transfer of troops and weapons to Syria and Lebanon. He was also responsible for logistics and escorting the late Qassem Suleimani and other commanders during their time in Syria.

In the documentary about Suleimani 1.20 Flight Mousavi's voice can be heard, and his body is shown from the neck down. 

After reports emerged of Suleimani’s assassination by the United States in Baghdad in January 2020 the Quds force commander’s daughter Zeinab called Mousavi, who initially falsely claimed that her father was in Syria visiting Bashar al-Assad.

In another documentary, 72 Hours, Mousavi’s image is shown. He describes events related to Suleimani’s trip to Syria, saying that he had told several people, including Mousavi himself, that “they were old and should become martyrs.”

Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, mentioned that Mousavi served as the second counsellor of the Iranian embassy in that country.

Some Iranian senior commanders are sent to Syria with diplomatic titles. Israel, aware of Mousavi’s residence and movements, targeted him, successfully identifying his exact location with the help of spies, according to Jaafar Asadi, a former commander of Iranian forces. 

Israel had previously targeted the same location, mistakenly thinking Mousavi was there.

The Islamic Republic’s Reaction and the Prospect of Retaliation

While Israel has previously targeted commanders of Mousavi’s calibre in Syria and Lebanon, the circumstances surrounding his death are unique.

“Undoubtedly the usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement read on state TV. “This action is another sign of the frustration, helplessness and weakness of the occupying Zionist regime.”

The Israeli military is on high alert due to the potential threat of attacks from Syria or other proxies associated with the Islamic Republic in Lebanon and Iraq. 

Deaths of Senior Iranian Commanders in Syria: A Complex History

The history of IRGC commanders killed in Syria is complex and intertwined with regional tensions. 

In February 2013 Hassan Shateri, also known as Hossam Khoshnevis, then head of the Southern Lebanon Reconstruction Headquarters, was killed while traveling from Damascus to Beirut.

Some reports attributed his death to an Israeli airstrike, but the details remain unconfirmed.

In January 2015 an Israeli attack resulted in the deaths of Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of prominent Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh – who himself had been killed in a car bombing in Syria in 2008 - and Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, an IRGC commander in the Golan Heights. 

Both had held leadership positions in Lebanon and Syria before their deaths.

Hossein Hamedani, considered the highest-ranking IRGC figure, also died in Syria, but the circumstances remain unclear. 

Some reports suggest he died from gunfire in clashes with rebel groups, while others claim it was a road accident.

Other IRGC commanders, including Abdullah Eskandari, Hamid Mokhtarband, Mohammad Jamalizadeh Paqala, Ismail Heydari, Hadi Kajbaf, Said Sayah Taheri and Hassan Ali Shamsabadi, have also lost their lives in Syria.