Israel Informed MI5 Of Threats Against Iranians In UK: Media

The IRGC statement Wednesday said that Colonel Davoud Jafari, a senior aerospace commander lost his life in a roadside bomb blast on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The IRGC said the incident took place on Monday, accusing Israel of executing the attack and pledging to respond to it.

There are no details about any other casualties in the explosion, and IRGC’s claim of a roadside bomb cannot be verified.

In March, two other IRGC officers were killed in an airstrike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital and Jafari could have also been killed in a similar strike that Israel carried out in recent days.

A week later, Iran targeted what it called “Israeli facilities” in Erbil in northern Iraq with missiles.

Iran has been deeply involved in the Syrian civil war for more than a decade, deploying tens of thousands of its own forces as well as hired Afghan, Iraqi and Pakistani Shiite fighters, who helped save Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with help from Russia.

However, since 2017 Iran has been trying to set up a presence on the Israeli border, possibly to create a new front to complement what the Lebanese Hezbollah has in southern Lebanon against Israel.

The Israeli air force has conducted hundreds of strikes against Iranian bases in Syria since 2017, targeting mostly weapons transfers and warehouses.

The US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet published photos and details of its investigation into the attack on the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including debris from the Shahed-136 drone itself.

In a statement, the Navy said the drone ripped a 30-inch-wide (76 cm) hole into the back of the ship, and the explosive impact damaged a shipboard boiler, potable water tank and life raft.

"The Iranian attack on a commercial tanker transiting international waters was deliberate, flagrant and dangerous, endangering the lives of the ship's crew and destabilizing maritime security in the Middle East," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. Navy commander in the Middle East, said in a statement.

Persian Gulf waters have in recent years seen attacks on tankers that have come at times of heightened regional tensions with Iran. In July 2021, a suspected drone attack hit a petroleum product tanker managed by an Israeli firm off Oman's coast. Iran denied accusations it was responsible.

Iran's supply of drones to Russia and popular antigovernment protests in the country have brought about more Western criticism of Tehran and have put any nuclear negotiations on the back burner for the time being.

With reporting by Reuters

Iranian media say he has resigned due to his deteriorating health condition. Although no further details have been provided, reports say Qasemi (Ghasemi) is suffering from cancer and is under treatment.

After Qasemi’s resignation, who was a Revolutionary Guard high-ranking officer, Shahriar Afandizadeh, a deputy of at the ministry was introduced as the caretaker.

IRNA news agency quoted Raisi's parliamentary deputy Mohammad Hosseini as saying that the proposed pick to replace Rostam Ghassemi will be introduced to the parliament on Sunday.

Qasemi's resignation comes after some leaked images showed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander holidaying with his unveiled girlfriend in Malaysia.

The photos led to massive outrage as security forces continue to crack down on anti-hijab protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in ‘hijab police’ custody.

Farhikhtegan daily had earlier demanded his dismissal for not fulfilling his promises, saying "the impeachment or correction of the performance of the Minister of Roads and Urban Development will be a glimpse of hope for people.”

During his campaign for president, Raisi had promised to build one million houses a year; something that Rostam Qasemi could not achieve during his first year in office.

IRGC targeted a base that it called "separatist terrorists" using missiles and kamikaze drones, the semi-official Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Guards said on Tuesday.

Iran accuses Kurdish groups taking refuge in Iraq's Kurdistan of fueling countrywide demonstrations that have gripped Iran since September.

“In today's operation, the base of a separatist terrorist group near Kirkuk, known as the Free Kurdistan Party, was targeted by missiles and kamikaze drones,” Tasnim added.

The news agency added that since Nov. 14 the Revolutionary Guard launched a new round of attacks against "separatist terrorists" in response to the group's alleged anti-security actions in Iranian cities bordering Iraq.

Iranian Kurdish dissident armed groups in Iraq have not taken any action during the protest and made no provocative statements.

Last week, two people were killed and 10 were wounded when rockets and drones hit the headquarters of Iranian Kurdish parties in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.

Since the current wave of protests began in Iran following the death in custody of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic has intensified its attacks on Kurdish dissident groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan, apparently aimed at intimidating the Kurds.

Iran’s barrage of missile and drone strikes against the groups in September led to the death of 14 people, including women and children, and wounding of 58 others near Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Shargh daily reported Tuesday that banning the protesting students from leaving the country for a long period is only one of the punishments considered by the parliamentarians.

According to this report, "experts" have also participated in the preparation of the draft law, without identifying them, however, they are probably agents of intelligence and security organizations.

The draft legislation was prepared under the title of dealing with "norm-breaking" students, and it is stated that "cursing and insulting sanctities" is one of the actions that the government will consider as "norm-breaking".

The comes a few days after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke about the "vulgarity" of the demonstrators' rhetoric.

Earlier, some senior commanders of the IRGC also deemed “shameless” words used in slogans chanted by some students at the universities.

According to Shargh daily, several members of parliament have signed the draft law, trying to collect more signatures to put it on the agenda of the parliament.

The Islamic Republic routinely bans critics from the right to travel abroad.

Earlier, the lawmakers’ attempts to call for death penalty for demonstrators provoked anger among people. However, the signatories were afraid to reveal their identity.

Iran’s universities and schools have been the scene of routine daily protests after the killing of Mahsa Amini by police in mid-September.