Ali Kamani and Mohammad Abdous killed in separate incidents in a 24-hour period lauded as “martyrs.”
By Pesach Benson, United with Israel
Two workers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Aerospace Force were killed in separate incidents in a 24-hour period on Sunday and Monday, prompting Tehran to laud the two as “martyrs.”
According to the state-controlled Tasnim News, Ali Kamani was killed in an automobile accident in the city of Kohmein, south of Tehran on Sunday.
Tasnim said Kamani died “while fulfilling his duty,” without elaborating.
Several hours later, the state-controlled Fars News reported that Mohammad Abdous was killed “during a mission” at the Semnan Air Defense Base in northern Iran. Abdous was said to be involved in the IRGC’s UAV, satellite and ballistic missile programs.
The two were the latest IRGC personnel killed in mysterious circumstances.
In May, Quds Force, Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei was assassinated in broad daylight outside his home in Tehran by two men on a motorcycle.
Reports indicated that Khodaei was the deputy commander of the IRGC’s Unit 840, which is said to be responsible for abductions and assassinations around the world. In recent years, Iranian plots against Israelis have been thwarted in Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Kenya and Columbia.
The New York Times — citing an unidentified intelligence official of unspecified nationality — reported that Israel notified Washington it was responsible for the hit. Israel blames the U.S. for the leak, saying it endangers Israeli lives and increases Tehran’s motivation for revenge.
In June, Col. Ali Esmailzadeh — who was suspected of leaking info that led to Khodaei’s assassination, fell from the roof his home in Karaj, near Tehran. The family was told Esmailzadeh killed himself due to “psychological pressures” stemming from the separation from his wife.
The deaths of Kamani and Abdous also came on the heels of an airstrike on Damascus International Airport on Friday that has been attributed to Israel.
That strike is thought to be a warning to Iran after Israel accused the IRGC of smuggling missile components on civilian flights landing in Damascus. Israel’s Kan News reported that the smuggled components were intended to convert conventional missiles into precision weapons.
According to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, the strike made the main runway unusable and destroyed terminal arrival halls used by Iranian operatives, as well as communication towers, unspecified airport infrastructure and three weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah.
The SOHR added that the terminals were designated as VIP areas for Iranian personnel and were used to store the smuggled missile components