Kioumars Pourhashemi (; died 28 November 2024), also known by his ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Haji Hashem, was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

military officer in the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC). He served as an IRGC military advisor to the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

during the Syrian civil war, and was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

shortly before the Battle of Aleppo of 2024.

History

Pourhashemi was an Iranian IRGC–

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

military officer who had served in the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

of the 1980s. By 2024, he served as an Iranian

military advisor Military advisors or combat advisors are military Military personnel, personnel deployed to advise on military matters. The term is often used for soldiers sent to foreign countries to aid such countries' militaries with their military education ...

to Syria. At the time, he was reportedly the leading Iranian advisor in the country. As a result of his importance, Pourhashemi attended a high-level meeting of pro-government commanders on 28 November 2024 when the

Syrian opposition Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

initiated large-scale offensives across northwestern Syria. The meeting rapidly deteriorated when Pourhashemi questioned the loyalty of a number of

Syrian Arab Army The Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF; ) were the combined armed forces of Syria from 1963 to 2024. They served during the rule of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. The SAAF consisted of the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air D ...

officers after they complained about the poor state of their units. According to eyewitnesses and

CGTN China Global Television Network (CGTN) is one of three branches of state-run China Media Group and the international division of China Central Television (CCTV). Headquartered in Beijing, CGTN broadcasts news in multiple languages. CGTN is un ...

, the dispute ultimately escalated into violence when one Syrian officer shot an AKM at Pourhashemi and a

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

commander, killing the former and wounding the latter. Those present knew that this killing would be disruptive for the pro-government forces' morale, and thus initial reports were spread to attribute Pourhashemi's death to

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

militants. The IRGC-affiliated

Tasnim News Agency Tasnim News Agency () is a semi-official news agency in Iran associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Launched in 2012, its purpose is to cover a variety of political, social, economic and international subjects along with ma ...

just said he was killed by " Takfiri terrorists." However, the truth about Pourhashemi's killer quickly spread among

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

's garrison. Researchers Hassan Hassan and

Michael Weiss Michael Weiss may refer to: Sports * Michael Weiss (figure skater) (born 1976), American former figure skater * Michael Weiss (swimmer) (born 1991), American swimmer * Michael Weiss (triathlete) (born 1981), Austrian triathlete and cyclist * Michae ...

argued that Pourhashemi's death — along with a number of other senior officers — greatly contributed to the collapse of the loyalist defenses of Aleppo. His demise reportedly encouraged several more mutinies among Syrian Arab Army troops and loyalist militias. Most notably, the Baqir Brigade's troops stood aside or outright defected to the rebels.

References

Year of birth missing 2024 deaths Assassinated Iranian people Military personnel killed in the Syrian civil war Assassinations in Syria Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps second brigadier generals Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Syrian civil war 20th-century births {{Iran-mil-bio-stub