IRGC commander killed in clashes with gunmen in Iran's restive south-east

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Brig Gen Hossein Zarifi, was killed during clashes with armed men in Iran's south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, according to state media. The fighting was occurring in the Jihadabad area, approximately 50km from Iran's border with Pakistan. Brig Gen Zarifi, who headed the IRGC's Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed during an operation targeting a group described by authorities as an "enemy-backed" militant force.

The IRGC's regional base confirmed that Zarifi had "given his life on the front line of battle" in a statement. Initial reports indicated that five militants were killed and several others were arrested following the operation, while weapons and ammunition were seized from the group's hideout. The operation was carried out in response to intelligence gathered through a public tip and the identification of the group prior to the raid.

Security forces had been conducting a series of raids and confrontations in Saravan in recent weeks amid intensified security operations against armed groups in the region. The province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has a history of attacks by Baloch armed groups and clashes involving Iranian security forces. In April 2022, Brig Gen Hossein Almassi, an IRGC commander in the province, narrowly escaped unharmed when gunmen attacked his convoy at a checkpoint in Zahedan; his bodyguard was killed in the assault.

The province has also witnessed major attacks by armed groups, such as a bombing that killed 27 people in February 2019, claimed by the armed group Jaish Al Adl. Recent clashes in Saravan have reportedly left additional Iranian casualties, including intelligence officer Ahmad Herati Zeraati, and caused disruptions in internet access and forced the displacement of some patients from the local hospital.