Senior IRGC commander killed in clash with gunmen near Iran-Pakistan border - report

A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander was killed during clashes with gunmen in southeastern Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province on Wednesday, Iranian media reported.

Brig.-Gen. Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC's Shahid Sajjad Operational Headquarters in Saravan, was killed during the fighting, the IRGC Ground Forces' Quds Regional Headquarters confirmed in a statement carried by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

The clash took place in the Jihadabad area of Saravan, near Iran's border with Pakistan.

A joint force consisting of the IRGC, the Intelligence Ministry, and police raided a location where an armed cell was believed to be operating.

Iranian authorities claimed the cell was planning an attack and that they located it based on intelligence.

Five members of the cell were killed during the ensuing exchange of fire, while others were arrested, according to Maariv.

The identity and affiliation of the gunmen remained unclear.

Iranian authorities described those involved as "terrorists" but did not identify a specific organization, and no group had claimed responsibility for the clash.

IRGC confirms Zarifi's death

The IRGC said Zarifi was killed while taking part in the operation alongside his forces.

In its statement, the IRGC praised Zarifi for fighting on the front lines and invoked former IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani while discussing the role of commanders in combat.

The IRGC said Zarifi's death would not create a vacuum in the ranks of its forces and that operations to defend Iran's borders would continue.

Zarifi had served for more than a decade in Sistan and Baluchestan, according to Maariv.

His funeral is scheduled to take place in Saravan on Friday, according to the IRGC statement carried by Tasnim.

Recent clashes in Sistan and Baluchestan

Sistan and Baluchestan Province is majority Sunni in population and is often the site of anti-regime militant attacks, particularly from Balochi separatist movements.

The province borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and militant groups operate across the border areas.

Wednesday's clash comes less than two weeks after another deadly security operation in Saravan. On September 12, a joint operation involving the IRGC, Intelligence Ministry, and law enforcement targeted an armed cell that Iranian authorities said was planning an assassination.

Four alleged militants were killed in the operation, along with three Iranian intelligence and security personnel, according to the IRGC. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also found at the group's hideout, the IRGC said.

The September 12 operation followed another security operation in Sistan and Baluchestan in late August, when the IRGC said one member of an armed cell was killed and six others were arrested.

That operation was also conducted jointly by the IRGC, Iran's Intelligence Ministry, and provincial police, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.