Deputy leader of Iran's Quds Force dies from heart disease: state media

18-04-2021
Holly Johnston @hyjohnston
A+ A-

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The deputy head of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force has died from heart disease, the IRGC has said in a statement shared by Iranian state media. 

The IRGC described Mohammed Hejazi as a “pious, revolutionary” leader who worked to recruit and send fighters abroad, including to Iraq.

The Quds Force is the IRGC’s foreign arm and has entrenched Iranian influence in countries across the Middle East, including in Lebanon and Syria.

Hejazi previously headed the Basij, a paramilitary group closely linked with the IRGC, led IRGC operations in Lebanon and was also involved in suppressing Kurdish separatist movements in the Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan provinces.

He became deputy head of the Quds Force after the US assassination of its commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, when his predecessor Esmail Qaani was appointed as leader of the Quds Force. 

The killings led to a spate of rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias on Iraqi military bases hosting foreign troops.  

Hejazi warned Iran would take “harsh revenge” for the deaths.

 


Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Kirkuk’s Governor Rebwar Taha speaking at a press conference in Kirkuk on November 21, 2024. Photo: Rudaw

Kirkuk urges people to stay home as census enters second day

Kirkuk’s Governor Rebwar Taha on Thursday urged residents to stay home as Iraq enters the second day of its nationwide population census, emphasizing that the process is solely for development purposes.