Iranian Brigadier General Gholam Ali Qalizadeh was reported killed in Syria, Iranian news agency Fars revealed yesterday.
Qalizadeh is referred to by the Iranians as one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Syrian Republic.
The Iranian news agency said that he was in Syria as part of a consultancy mission in the war against “terrorist groups” in the country.
It noted that he was one of the fighters of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iranian-Iraqi war between 1980 and 1988.
Iranian forces have been supporting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad regain control of the country after peaceful demonstration demanding greater freedoms were countered violently by government forces in 2011.
Russian forces have provided air cover for Syrian and Iranian ground troops. The forces were recently able to recapture the northern city of Aleppo which has been under opposition control for a number of years.
More than 12 million Syrians have been displaced since he onset of violence, four millions have moved to neighbouring countries and further afield in search of safety.