Senior Iranian military adviser killed in Syria fighting: Report
A senior Iranian military adviser has been killed in Syria, according to Iranian state media. Second Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi, a commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in “new crimes committed by Zionist takfiri terrorists” in the city of Aleppo.
No further details were immediately available. Dozens have been killed in the past day after the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) armed group and others attacked military positions held by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Tehran.
Iran, which has backed al-Assad through over a decade of conflict in Syria, considers the group a “terrorist” organisation affiliated with Israel.
Iran tells Lebanon that Syria unrest is US-Israeli ploy of destabilisation
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken on the phone with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib about the ceasefire in Lebanon and renewed fighting in Syria.
The top Iranian diplomat said the ceasefire was a result of “indescribable resilience” by the Lebanese nation and resistance forces, and of political leadership by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and the government.
Araghchi warned that Lebanon must remain “seriously vigilant” because Israel has shown it cannot be relied upon to stay committed to such agreements, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
He said the fact that “terrorist takfiri groups have been reactivated” in Lebanon’s neighbouring Syria is a “US-Zionist ploy to disturb regional stability and security after the defeats and shortcomings of the Zionist regime against the resistance”.
We reported earlier on an IRGC general who was killed in fighting in Aleppo, Syria. Iran blamed what it termed Israeli-backed militias for his killing.
Houthis to continue striking Israel, says group’s leader
Yemen’s Houthi rebels will keep up their attacks on Israel, their leader says, two days into the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“The operations from the Yemeni front to support the Palestinian people with missiles and drones towards the Israeli enemy are continuing,” Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said on the rebels’ Al Masirah TV channel.
“I hope everyone in the army and among the people is aware of our responsibility, and with God’s help will do more … against the Israeli enemy,” he said. “We at the Yemeni front are doing our utmost to support the Palestinian people,” he added.
The Houthis have periodically fired drones and missiles at Israel since the outbreak of the war on Gaza. They have also targeted Israel-linked ships and other vessels in the Red Sea.
Houthis in Yemen report two US-UK air strikes
US and UK military aircraft have bombed Yemen again, according to Houthi-affiliated media. Two air strikes hit the Bajil district in the Hodeidah governorate, the Al Masirah TV television channel reported from the area.
The Iran-aligned group has not yet commented on the target of the strikes or potential casualties.
The Western allies have been repeatedly launching air raids on areas across Yemen, especially the strategic governorate of Hodeidah, since the start of the war on Gaza in a stated effort to stop Houthi attacks in opposition to the war.