Iranian General Is Killed in Syria Advising Military

[jpak]

Source: New York Times

TEHRAN — A prominent Iranian general was killed in Syria Thursday night, Iranian officials and state media reported on Friday. His death illustrated both the level of Iran’s direct involvement on the government side in the Syrian civil war, and the pervasive violence of the conflict.

The general, Hussein Hamedani, a senior figure in the Revolutionary Guards, was killed in Aleppo Province, where he was advising the Syrian military, the reports said. The Iranian state news outlet Press TV reported, citing a statement by the Revolutionary Guards, that General Hamedani had been killed by Islamic State fighters, but did not say how he died.

The general’s death prompted an outpouring of grief from Iran’s leaders, who have been steadily sending high-ranking military figures to Syria. In a public message of condolence, President Hassan Rouhani praised General Hamedani as a “martyr” and said his death was a “big loss.” Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, issued a similar message.

Esmail Kowsari, a member of Parliament, told the Tasnim news agency that the general “prevented the fall of Syria and the victory of the Daesh and other hostile forces,” referring to the Islamic State by an Arabic acronym for the group.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/world/middleeast/hussein-hamedani-iran-general-killed-in-syria.html?_r=0

[uawchild]

1. It's a Sunni versus Shiite conflict

It's become harder and harder to hide the fact that the Syrian "civil war" is actually a proxy battle between the undemocratic Sunni theocracy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia versus the undemocratic Shiite theocracy of Iran. All the sunni factions and all the shiite factions are just pawns in the conflict. Russia has decided to throw all its weight, such as it is, behind the Shiites. The US seems to be trying to straddle the fence, supporting the shiite government in Iraq, yet being a backer of Saudi Arabia attacking shiite "rebels" in places like Yemen. it seems that our approach might not be working out as well as we had hoped and we'll soon be forced to choose one side or the other.

[jamzrockz]

3. Not exactly

Its more of a Saudi backed attack on Syria and Iraq. Just look at this post I found on liveleak.

Of course of course - the truth is hurting. over 70 % of Syria's Army are Sunnis, it's hurting it is hurting the beautiful First Lady Asma al-Assad is Sunni does it hurt? No! It's Syria! In Syria your religion does not matter! In Saudi Arabia religion is your life or your death and in Turkey there are no not many christians left after Turkish imperialistic forces killed millions of Armenians and so on.

Picture ERROR

Please check the link below for pics of Syrian govt cabinet with members and their religious sect included.
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3e5_1444164279#JDAEgo8z3VXXEIgX.99

Then you also read this headline from yahoo

IS executed 70 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar: elder, UN
http://news.yahoo.com/executed-70-sunni-tribesmen-iraqs-anbar-elder-un-173116231.html

And you would understand that this idea that it is a sectarian battle is bunk. Syrians of all sects have always lived in peace with each other, they basically share power and every group benefits. Ofc, everything changed once the Saudis backed by the west targeted them with Sunni mercenaries. If it was just a sunni vs shia battle, then why are the foreign Sunni rebels killing other Sunnis? this is an invasion with genocidal intentions and the natives are fighting back.

[uawchild]

4. Are there any secular states left in the region?

Last edited Fri Oct 9, 2015, 06:52 PM - Edit history (1)

The thing is the day of the secular, albeit authoritarian, state in the middle east seems to be fading fast, if not already past. The Saudi fundamentalists are being given free reign to remake the entire region in their image.

As far as it not being a shiite versus sunni proxy war, I take your point. Its an Iranian versus Saudi proxy war, but both major players see themselves as the guardians of their respective religious communities. Recent articles tell how the Assad regime invited in Russian forces because of fears that Iran was establishing a defacto state-within-a-state sphere in Syria.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/syria-leader-assad-seeks-russian-protection-from-ally-iran-a-1056263.html

ISIS is the creature of Saudi Arabia, said to be receiving only 40% of its funding internally and the remaining 60% from Saudi and Gulf State "individuals".

I am afraid that neither Iran nor the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will allow Syria to return to anything like its former condition, that while authoritarian and at times oppressive was at least a religiously tolerant and stable state.

[7962]

2. Wont be the last of these stories. Soon replaced by Russian names nt