The online platform of the Center for Combating Terrorism Financing, which aims to expose terrorist groups and their financial resources, introduced Seyyed Reza as the commander of Unit 2250 of the Quds Force, one of the subunits of Unit 2000 in Syria, in an article published on July 19, 2023. It also mentioned other speculations, such as the command of Unit 700 and 820, in various reports regarding Reza’s position.
The Center for Combating Terrorism Financing states that it is striving to identify terrorist groups, their members, and their supporters, including Boko Haram, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hezbollah Lebanon, and provide solutions to counter them. It introduced Seyyed Reza as the supervisor of special logistical operations of the IRGC in Syria. Additionally, according to this center, which seems to have connections with Israeli security centers, Mousavi has controlled several Iranian bases in Syria, including Damascus, Latakia, Hama, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor.
There are not many details about Seyyed Reza Mousavi’s background in the Iranian media, and it is likely that due to the sensitive position held by the Islamic Republic, they preferred to keep this person anonymous. However, Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, introduced Reza as the second liaison of the Iranian embassy in Syria in an interview with Mehr News Agency. The news agency also mentions that Reza was one of the oldest advisors of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and was active as a consultant during his presence in Syria, working with a diplomatic passport in that country.
Logistics officer of the Quds Force in Syria
Since the news of Seyyed Reza’s killing, many have identified him as the logistics officer of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in Syria, responsible for overseeing the process of transferring weapons from Syria to Lebanon. Emoja Media, an analytical news outlet, has also reported that Reza played a role in delivering ballistic missiles of the Fateh class from Syria to Lebanon. It is also said that after Javad Ghafari’s departure from Syria, who was active as a senior commander of Iranian paramilitary forces in that country, Reza’s role became more important and he even became one of the most distinguished forces of the Islamic Republic in Syria.
Two years ago, Javad Ghaffari suddenly returned from Syria to Iran in the autumn. The officials of the Islamic Republic considered his return to Tehran as a normal process and attributed it to the end of his mission. However, Al Arabiya had reported that Ghaffari was expelled from Syria due to a disagreement with Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli authorities did not officially take responsibility for the missile attack on Seyyed Reza Musavi’s house, following the usual procedure. But the Islamic Republic holds Israel responsible for the killing of its senior commander in Syria.
Israel’s message to Iran
In such a situation, by examining Israel’s history of attacks on Iranian positions, it is possible to analyze the how and why of the precise attack on Seyyed Reza Musavi’s house. On November 26th of this year, Israel targeted Damascus airport in multiple airstrikes, causing the airport to be out of service again just a few hours after flights resumed. It should be noted that this airport had been temporarily inactive in previous similar attacks that occurred in October. In the same month, Aleppo airport was also targeted by Israeli airstrikes.
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict, which the United States and the European Union consider Hamas as a terrorist group, Israeli airstrikes on targets in Syria have intensified. Unlike before, these attacks are not focused on storage facilities associated with the Revolutionary Guards or the drone production center, but rather target airports in Aleppo and Damascus.
Hamidreza Azizi, a researcher at the Science and Policy Foundation in Berlin, Germany, says that Syria can act as both a launching pad for attacks on Israel and a hub for transferring weapons to Lebanon. Since the start of the Hamas-Israel war, Israeli officials have paid more attention to Syria. This action is actually aimed at disrupting the launching pad, as when the transfer route is targeted by Israel, it becomes impossible for the cargo to reach its destination, making it easier for Israel.
This expert on regional foreign policy in Iran states that Israel’s goal is to strike Iran’s arms transfer network to Lebanon and the paramilitary forces in southern Syria. Therefore, considering the reports that identify Mr. Seyed Reza Mousavi as responsible for logistics and arms transfer for Iran, a missile attack on him can be analyzed and evaluated within this context.
He adds that another part of this operation was likely carried out with the aim of sending a message to Iran. This means that, with the expansion of Houthi actions and increased levels of engagement by Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel, which previously did not target senior Iranian officers in Syria, is now sending Tehran a message that when you escalate the level of engagement, we will not remain idle and will take reciprocal actions. Consequently, this attack should be considered as Israel’s attempt to revive its deterrence capabilities.
Hossein Akbari says that Seyed Reza Musavi was at the Iranian embassy until 2 o’clock and then went to his home in Zainabiyah, Damascus. According to the Iranian ambassador in Syria, three missiles hit Seyed Reza’s house at 4:20 p.m. local time, precisely when his wife was not at home. All three missiles successfully hit their target, which is the home of this senior commander of the Quds Force in Syria.
Persian
مشاهده این مقاله به زبان فارسی
