Iranians Bid Farewell to IRGC Quds Force Second-In-Command

By Staff, Agencies

Mourners in Iran’s central city of Isfahan, the hometown of Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi – the second-in-command of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps [IRGC] – have attended the funeral ceremony for the senior commander.

Commander of the Quds Force Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, as well as member of the Assembly of Experts and Isfahan interim Friday prayers leader Ayatollah Sayyed Abolhasan Mahdavi were among the officials who attended Hejazi’s funeral ceremony on Tuesday.

Qaani praised his deputy’s sacrifices to safeguard the ideals of Islam as he shared memories of cooperation with the senior figure of the resistance movement in a speech during the funeral.

He also read out messages of condolence by the secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, Ismail Haniyeh.

“On the behalf of myself and my brethren and sisters in Hezbollah, I extend condolences over the demise of prominent Jihadi commander and dear brother Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi,” Sayyed Nasrallah said in a message.

“We were all saddened by the surprise demise of the commander, who passed away at a time when the Axis of Resistance is in need of his presence,” His Eminence added.

In a message addressed to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khamenei, Haniyeh prayed to God and asked for blessing for the departed soul of the Iranian commander.

The Hamas official also offered his sincere condolences to the Quds Force commander as well as Hejzai’s family and the Iranian nation.

He also thanked and appreciated Hejazi’s valuable positions in “support of the heroic resistance of Palestine” and his prominent role in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Hejazi passed away at the age of 65 on Sunday night. The IRGC said the veteran commander had been suffering from the effects of exposure to chemical agents used by the Iraqi regime during the 1980s war on Iran.

Upon approval by Imam Khamenei, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Fallahzadeh was appointed as the new Second-in-Command of the IRGC Quds Force on Monday evening.