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Iran’s ‘Butcher of Aleppo’ Oversaw Plots to Kill Israelis in Türkiye

IRGC Quds Force general Javad Ghaffari, also known as the Butcher of Aleppo (Photo Credit: Iran International)
IRGC Quds Force general Javad Ghaffari, also known as the Butcher of Aleppo (Photo Credit: Iran International)
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Iran’s ‘Butcher of Aleppo’ Oversaw Plots to Kill Israelis in Türkiye

IRGC Quds Force general Javad Ghaffari, also known as the Butcher of Aleppo (Photo Credit: Iran International)
IRGC Quds Force general Javad Ghaffari, also known as the Butcher of Aleppo (Photo Credit: Iran International)

A notorious commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), previously expelled from Syria, oversaw operations to kill Israelis, Iran International, a Persian language television station headquartered in London, has learned.

General Javad Ghaffari, the IRGC Quds Force commander who had reportedly been expelled from Syria last November for ‘major breach of Syrian sovereignty’, led the IRGC Intelligence Organization's plots to kill Israelis in Türkiye in the past nine months, a former senior IRGC official told Iran International.

After returning from Syria, Ghaffari was appointed as the deputy head of IRGC Intelligence Organization for Special Operations, where he orchestrated a series of failed attacks against Israeli citizens, the Iranian source said.

In the latest case in June, Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted a planned attack against Israeli diplomats and tourists in Istanbul.

Ghaffari was the third commander of the Iranian forces in Syria since 2011 when Iran began its large-scale intervention in Syria's civil war.

He started his career in Syria as one of the commanders at the Iranian forces' headquarters in Damascus and was later appointed as the commander of the forces in Aleppo - where he became known as the 'Butcher of Aleppo'.

There, he led Iranian forces as well as their Lebanese Hezbollah proxies and Afghan mercenaries, the Fatemiyoun, until he was allegedly ousted by Assad.

Ghaffari was expelled from Syria as he was “accused of ‘major breach of Syrian sovereignty’ after attacking US forces and deploying Iranian weapons to unapproved places.”

Ghaffari's expulsion from Syria not only did not result in his retirement, but also won him a senior position at the IRGC Intelligence Organization (SAS).

His failures at SAS outraged many IRGC officials, and finally prompted Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to sack the organization's controversial, but powerful, chief Hossein Taeb, who had run SAS for 13 years.

However, Ghaffari was not the first or only official responsible for SAS operations overseas. His predecessor Reza Seraj had also been sacked for a failed plot to kill Israelis in Cyprus.

Another key figure in the unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Israelis in Türkiye was Rouhollah Bazghandi, the deputy head of the SAS counterintelligence (Unit 1500), the former senior IRGC official told Iran International.

By using amateur agents to carry out the attacks against Israeli targets in Istanbul, Bazghandi dealt a heavy blow to the IRGC Intelligence Organization, the source told Iran International.

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UN Report: 40% of War-Related Deaths are Women, and 30% are Children

The majority of recorded deaths, 70%, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023 (Reuters)
The majority of recorded deaths, 70%, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023 (Reuters)
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UN Report: 40% of War-Related Deaths are Women, and 30% are Children

The majority of recorded deaths, 70%, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023 (Reuters)
The majority of recorded deaths, 70%, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023 (Reuters)

While the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, the situation will not be any better in 2024, according to the annual report by the Office of UN Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in war contexts.
The report, released a few days ago, paints a very bleak picture of what women have suffered in armed conflicts in 2023.
It said 40% of civilians killed in armed conflict in 2023 were women, twice as many as in 2022. The number of children who lost their lives (30%) also tripled.
The report also highlights an exponential increase in civilian casualties, with at least 33,443 non-combatants killed in 2023, a 73% rise from the previous year.
Gaza City...70% of Recorded Deaths
The majority of recorded deaths, 70%, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023, the report said.
Policy Specialist on Peace and Security at UN Women, Pablo Castillo said the increase in the proportion of women who died in armed conflict occurred “in all wars.”
“The reason [for this trend] is the growing disregard for international law and humanitarian standards amid a backdrop of both cold and hot wars between superpowers, along with a general geopolitical climate that challenges multilateralism,” said Castillo. “Additionally, there is a discernible trend of attacking anything that can be identified as feminism.”
UN Women contributed to reports on women, peace, and security and which highlighted the alarming figures regarding female mortality in conflict zones.
“The world is caught in a frightening spiral of conflict, instability and violence. In 2023, more than 170 armed conflicts were recorded, and approximately 612 million women and girls lived within 50 km of these conflicts, 150% more than just a decade ago,” stated the UN report on women, peace and security.
Another “alarming” finding revealed by the study is the 50% increase in cases of sexual assault in conflict zones, along with a 35% rise in serious rape cases involving girls in these countries.
This is emphasized by Cristina Sanchez, a law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and an expert on the intersection of war and gender.
“These are not random acts; sexual violence is a targeted and effective weapon of war. It not only serves to displace populations from their homes but also functions as a bargaining chip, with women being sold among terrorist groups as a means of financing,” she said.
The UN describes this situation as “a war on women,” noting that they are affected in numerous ways beyond death and rape.
For instance, access to healthcare is becoming increasingly restricted.
Every day, 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
“An estimated 52,000 pregnant women have been caught in the war, with an estimated 180 deliveries every day, most of them without access to anesthetics for cesarean sections and without water, sanitation, nutrition or postpartum care,” stated the UN report.
“A pregnant patient from a rural area had to wait two days to get the money she needed to receive care,” said Maria Fix, head of the Doctors Without Borders team in South Darfur, Sudan.
“When she finally reached a health center, they had no medicines, so she returned home. After three days, her condition worsened, but she again had to wait five hours to be transferred. She was in a coma when she reached us. She died of a preventable infection,” she added.
Absence of International Awareness
For the first time, the report mentioned a direct criticism to the so-called “basic public awareness about these injustices.”
The report also criticized the lack of media coverage: although reports on wars increased sixfold between 2013 and 2023, only 5% focused on women’s experiences.
“In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war has been denounced for decades. And nothing happens. This also sends a message of impunity,” said Sanchez.
In that country, the UN reported over 123,000 cases of gender violence in 2023, a 300% increase over three years, which has not been accompanied by a rise in convictions.
The neglect is also evident in the reduced funding for organizations focused on gender equality and specific programs aimed at mitigating the impact of war on women, the report showed.
Women are frequently excluded from peace negotiations, “despite the fact that it is known that increased female participation leads to more robust and lasting agreements,” said Castillo.
Instead of progress, attacks against women’s rights activists have intensified. “Anti-gender and anti-feminist movements are well-organized and have at their disposal considerable financial resources,” said the report.
In several countries, including Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, local or national authorities have even banned the term “gender” and restricted or persecuted activities advocating for equality.
In Afghanistan, “the oppression of Afghan women is severe,” the report said.
Girls over the age of 12 have been denied the right to education for three years, among various other restrictions that have led the UN to classify the situation as gender apartheid.