NEWS
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Brig. Gen. Hossein Zarifi, Killed During Anti-Armed Group Operation
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander has been killed during a security operation against an armed group in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC identified the officer as Brig. Gen. Hossein Zarifi, commander of the Sajjad Operations Base in Saravan, who was killed during an operation targeting an armed cell in the region.
The development comes amid persistent security challenges in Sistan and Baluchestan, a strategically sensitive province bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan that has experienced repeated attacks and clashes involving Iranian security forces.
Earlier on Wednesday, the IRGC announced that its forces had dismantled an armed cell in the Jihadabad area of Saravan following an intense confrontation. Five members of the group were reportedly killed, while several others were arrested.
Security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from a hideout allegedly used by the group.
The IRGC described the cell as an enemy-backed terrorist group and accused its members of preparing attacks aimed at destabilising Sistan and Baluchestan. Iranian authorities further alleged that the United States and Israel were behind the group’s plans, although those claims were not independently established in the report.
The province has previously witnessed attacks claimed by armed opposition organisations, including Jaish al-Adl, making the latest operation part of a broader pattern of violence and counter-insurgency operations in the area.