The Iran's Revolutionary Guard has announced this Friday the death of its spokesperson, Ali Mohamad Naini, as a consequence of the bombings against the country within the framework of the offensive initiated on February 28 by the United States and Israel.
In its statement, the military body has indicated that Naeini “has fallen a martyr” during the US-Israeli military campaign and has praised his career “for more than four decades” in the service of “the protection of the Islamic Revolution”, as reported by the Iranian public broadcaster IRIB.
The official message underlines that “his revolutionary ideas and efficient models in the field of 'soft war' will guide the Revolutionary Guard and its officers in the psychological war against the arrogant powers,” before recalling that Naini was “a brave and sincere general.” “We promise to continue his path of perseverance in the fight against terrorists,” the note stressed.
Later, the Israel Army has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Naini and has remarked that “he performed propaganda and public relations functions” within the Revolutionary Guard. “Eliminated,” he has published in a message on his social networks.
According to the Israeli Army itself, “during the last two years, as the main propagandist of the Revolutionary Guard, he spread the regime's terrorist propaganda among its allies throughout Middle East with the aim of influencing and promoting terrorist attacks against Israel.”
In this vein, he has highlighted that "the assassination of Naini adds to a series of assassinations of dozens of high-ranking officials of the regime within the framework of the operation", in allusion to the joint offensive with the United States.
For their part, the Iranian authorities put the number of dead caused by the military campaign of Israel and the United States at more than 1,200. However, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists in Iran, based in the United States, raises the number of fatalities to more than 3,000, mostly civilian population.
Among the victims are top-level figures such as the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani; and the ministers of Defense and Intelligence, Aziz Nasirzadeh and Esmaeil Khatib, in addition to high-ranking commanders of the Armed Forces and officials from other security agencies.
The offensive was launched in the midst of new talks between the United States and Iran to try to close a renewed nuclear deal, which has led Tehran to respond with attacks against Israeli territory and against American interests in the Middle East, including military bases.