IRGC Special Force Backs Quds Force in Fierce Battles

A battalion from the Saberin Special Forces Unit participates in a military parade in Tehran (Tasnim)
A battalion from the Saberin Special Forces Unit participates in a military parade in Tehran (Tasnim)
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IRGC Special Force Backs Quds Force in Fierce Battles

A battalion from the Saberin Special Forces Unit participates in a military parade in Tehran (Tasnim)
A battalion from the Saberin Special Forces Unit participates in a military parade in Tehran (Tasnim)

Chief of an Iranian Revolutionary Guardian Corps (IRGC) special unit has announced that his forces “continue to support the Quds Force and carry out combat missions in fierce battles.”

Commander of Saberin ground special operation forces unit Mohammad Taheri told IRGC’s Tasnim News Agency that his forces enjoy “combat capabilities and are supplied with advanced equipment” during battles fought within Iranian territory or alongside the Quds Force in battles it leads abroad.

In 2016, the IRGC officially announced the presence of Sabrin Brigade in Syria after affirming the death of one of its senior leaders and a number of its members.

Taheri said his forces lost 30 fighters during military battles, without specifying the number of dead in foreign missions, adding that 100 have been disabled.

Saberin forces were engaged in military confrontations with opposition factions on the borders of Syria’s northwest and southeast region, Taheri noted.

He pointed to battles against the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Kurdish-Iranian ally of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Komala factions, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), as well as armed factions in Balochistan region.

According to Tehran, opposition parties that raise the banner of defending the rights of nationalisms are “anti-revolution” and “terrorist organizations.”

Taheri said his forces constitute the “best ground forces in the IRGC,” adding that they carried out significant and influential operations in maintaining the country’s security.

The establishment of Saberin Unit dates back to 1999 and 2000, when the IRGC gathered elite figures to counter activities of the Kurdish PJAK, which inflicted heavy losses on the IRGC in the border triangle between Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.

In July 2012, back then Saberin Commander Brigadier General Morteza Mirian said the IRGC had relied on the training bases for special forces in the British army.

According to media sources, the unit uses a US-manufactured M-16 rifle, which the IRGC calls “Zulfiqar.”

Meanwhile, General Mohsen Sasani has been appointed by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed forces Major-General Mohammad Bagheri as Deputy Head of Iran’s Passive Defense Organization, Iranian media reported.

His appointment is considered the first military shuffle after an explosion at Natanz nuclear facility in late July.

Deputy Coordinator of the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces General Ali Abdullahi said: “promoting resilience and protecting critical infrastructure of the country are considered strategic issues in the country’s defense system.”

“In order to face new cyber and electronic threats in the future wars, we need to adopt new approaches and strategies,” he stressed.



Six Newborns Die from Severe Cold in Gaza, Medic Says

Yahya Al-Batran, the father of Palestinian infant Jumaa Al-Batran, who died of hypothermia after living in a tent with his displaced family, reacts as he embraces his body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Yahya Al-Batran, the father of Palestinian infant Jumaa Al-Batran, who died of hypothermia after living in a tent with his displaced family, reacts as he embraces his body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Six Newborns Die from Severe Cold in Gaza, Medic Says

Yahya Al-Batran, the father of Palestinian infant Jumaa Al-Batran, who died of hypothermia after living in a tent with his displaced family, reacts as he embraces his body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Yahya Al-Batran, the father of Palestinian infant Jumaa Al-Batran, who died of hypothermia after living in a tent with his displaced family, reacts as he embraces his body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

At least six newborn babies have died in Gaza due to severe cold, according to Dr. Saeed Saleh, a health official at the Patient's Friends Benevolent Society Hospital (PFBS) in the enclave, in a recorded video on Tuesday.

Saleh said that in the past two weeks, eight newborns were admitted with severe cold-related injuries, six of whom later died, Reuters reported.

The hospital highlighted the dire living conditions facing Palestinians, who are currently residing in tents and bombed-out homes, with no protection from the freezing temperatures currently sweeping across the Middle East.

Health officials at the hospital called on mediators in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to urgently provide mobile homes as temporary shelters for more than 280,000 families who are homeless after Israeli airstrikes.

They also called for fuel deliveries to ensure warmth and safeguard young children from the harsh weather conditions.

Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza on January 19 to end nearly 16 months of conflict and allow the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

However, the truce is fragile with both sides accusing the other of violations. Last week, Hamas threatened to postpone the scheduled release of hostages after it said Israel had delayed the promised entry of mobile homes into the devastated strip.

Hamas blamed the deaths of the newborns on Israel’s "criminal policies," accusing Israel of obstructing humanitarian aid.

Israel did not immediately comment on the reports of the newborn deaths. It has consistently denied restricting aid.

International aid officials have confirmed that aid is getting into Gaza despite logistical problems, but they warn more was needed.