General Javad Ghaffari: Most Powerful Iranian Military Figure in Syria

Syrian air defense batteries responding to what the Syrian regime media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus (File Photo: AFP)
Syrian air defense batteries responding to what the Syrian regime media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus (File Photo: AFP)
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General Javad Ghaffari: Most Powerful Iranian Military Figure in Syria

Syrian air defense batteries responding to what the Syrian regime media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus (File Photo: AFP)
Syrian air defense batteries responding to what the Syrian regime media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus (File Photo: AFP)

Security services in Tel Aviv marked Iranian general Javad Ghaffari as the most powerful Iranian military figure in Syria, claiming he remains under the direct command of al-Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

The services leaked information to the media that Ghaffari is the mastermind of a recent plot to attack Israel with drones.

The security report indicated that Ghaffari is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War and one of the leaders of al-Quds Force. He currently serves as the commander of the Iranian forces in Syria and leads the Iranian entrenchment efforts in the war-torn country.

Ghaffari leads tens of thousands of Shiites, from various nations, who operate throughout Syria, including Damascus, Aleppo and the country's east. Ghaffari has recruited the fighters, trained them and supervised the attack, said the report.

Ghaffari personally supervised the recruitment of elements responsible for plotting the drone attacks on Israeli targets, which Tel Aviv claims a recent bombing near Damascus, has thwarted his mission.

Israel on Saturday launched the strikes to prevent what it said was an Iranian attack on Israel.

Israeli Army spokesman revealed that Hezbollah commanders Yasser Ahmad Daher and Hassan Youssef Zbib were killed in the strike along with two other members, who were trained to use drones in Iran.

The report stated that al-Quds Force wanted to launch killer drones into Israeli territory from the Arneh area in retaliation for recent Israeli attacks on Iranian sites in Iraq. The two drones were set to be flown on August 22, followed by another attack on the night of August 24.

Other sources said that in 2016, around 7,000 fighters led by Ghaffari participated in besieging Aleppo, Syria.

In April 2018, Syrian opposition websites reported that Ghaffari was transporting and distributing pro-Iranian militia elements from the countries of the region, especially Iraq and Lebanon, as well as Afghanistan, to implement the scheme of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in establishing a road link between Tehran and Beirut.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced the launch of its social media pages in the Farsi language.

A spokesman said though the decision to set up Farsi accounts was reportedly taken in recent months, it was now a good opportunity for Iranians to see what Soleimani is doing with their money.



Russian Forces Retake Village from Ukraine in Russia's Kursk Region

A Ukrainian law enforcement officer inspects a crater next to a destroyed perfume and cosmetics manufacturing building following a missile attack in Kharkiv on April 18, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
A Ukrainian law enforcement officer inspects a crater next to a destroyed perfume and cosmetics manufacturing building following a missile attack in Kharkiv on April 18, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
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Russian Forces Retake Village from Ukraine in Russia's Kursk Region

A Ukrainian law enforcement officer inspects a crater next to a destroyed perfume and cosmetics manufacturing building following a missile attack in Kharkiv on April 18, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
A Ukrainian law enforcement officer inspects a crater next to a destroyed perfume and cosmetics manufacturing building following a missile attack in Kharkiv on April 18, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)

Russian troops recaptured the village of Oleshnya in Russia's western Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, the RIA state news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Saturday.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield report.
Russia has been fighting to eject Ukrainian troops from Kursk since Kyiv sent its forces across the border in a lightning incursion in August 2024.