Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has named the successor to the late commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, who was assassinated in an Israeli military strike against the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday.
Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi as the new chief of the elite Iranian force, following the targeted killing of his predecessor Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
“In view of the glorious and honorable martyrdom of Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh at the hands of the wicked Zionist regime, and given the proposal of the commander-in-chief of the IRGC and your valuable qualifications and experiences, I appoint you to the command of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps,” the Leader wrote in his decree on Saturday.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that he expected enhancement of comprehensive capabilities, an increase in the preparedness of missile and drone units, as well as groundwork and a strong presence in the aerospace sector under Mousavi’s command.
The Leader also called for “strengthening the piety and insight of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division personnel, and having a spiritual foundation in moving toward building a force at the level of the Islamic Revolution.”
Ayatollah Khamenei finally expressed his admiration for the valuable infrastructural services of Major General Hajizadeh during his command and wished Mousavi success in his new position.
Major General Hajizadeh, who was critically wounded during an Israeli attack on an IRGC command center in the early hours of Friday, June 13, succumbed to his injuries and was martyred later in the day.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, and six nuclear scientists, including Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi, have also been martyred in the Israeli strikes.
Ayatollah Khamenei has warned the Zionist regime that it will receive a severe punishment for the strike, saying, “With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”
