Spotlight on Iran (August 28- September 11, 2023)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian held a several-day visit to Syria and Lebanon. An IRGC member was killed in late August 2023 in Syria. The circumstances of his death were not disclosed. The IRGC and pro-Iranian militias in eastern Syria have taken increased security measures in Deir ez-Zor amid violent clashes between Kurdish SDF forces and Sunni Arab tribesmen. About four million Iranian pilgrims arrived at Shiite holy sites in Iraq in early September 2023 as part of the Arbaeen ceremonies. IRGC’s Qods Force Commander Esmail Qaani arrived in Iraq as part of the Arbaeen ceremonies and visited the cities of Najaf and Samarra, as well as the memorial in Baghdad to Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was assassinated by the United States in January 2020. Qaani also met with commanders of the Shiite pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.
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