TEHRAN– In a message on Monday Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his condolences on the death of Brigadier General Seyyed Mohammad Hejazi, Deputy Commander of the IRGC Quds Force.

“With great regret, I received the news of the passing of the honorable General Seyed Mohammad Hejazi. May God bless him and grant him peace,” Ayatollah Khamenei remarked.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described General Hejazi as a person with “dynamic thought, a heart full of true faith and full of motivation and determination.”

Other senior Iranian officials including President Hassan Rouhani; Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf; Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri; IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami; Vice-President Es’hagh Jahangiri; Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi; and Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami sent messages of condolences over the death of the general.

“Committed veteran and an intuitive devotee”

Rouhani called Hejazi a “committed veteran, who spent all his life serving the Islamic Republic in all sincerity.”

Raisi praised Hejazi as “an intuitive devotee”. In another part of his message, the senior cleric pointed to Gen. Hejazi’s services throughout his fruitful life, including providing security, attracting and nurturing the faithful and revolutionary youth, and upgrading the defense industry capabilities.

“Sincere, faithful, brave, and tireless”

Ghalibaf expressed condolences to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the honorable people of Iran and all the general’s comrades.  The senior parliamentarian said Hejazi was a person with a “key role in organizing the Basij Force.”

He also described late military officer as a “sincere, faithful, brave, and tireless” person.

“Unique moral characteristics”

Vice-President Jahangiri praised Hejazi as a “veteran devotee with unique moral characteristics,” and wished the Leader of the Islamic Revolution patience over his sorrowful loss.

Major General Bagheri also expressed his deepest condolences to Commander-in-chief Ayatollah Khamenei and wished the Leader patience over the general’s loss.

“Powerful and intelligent and honest friend”

Expressing condolences to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the martyr’s family, Salami said General Hejazi was a “powerful and intelligent and honest friend.”

General Seyed Mohammad Hosseinzadeh Hejazi, born in Isfahan in 1956, was a veteran commander of the IRGC. He joined the IRGC from the very beginning of its establishment.

General Hejazi graduated from the University of Tehran with a master’s degree in public administration, and received a doctorate degree in strategic management from the Faculty of National Defense. He was also a faculty member of Imam Hossein University.

Hejazi was appointed the Quds Force commander of the Lebanese Corps in 2009 and remained there until 2019. He performed special services in order to strengthen the resistance front. During the Syrian war, along with martyr Major General Soleimani, he performed effective services in the fight against Takfiri terrorism.

The commander passed away at the age of 65 on Sunday night. The IRGC said on Monday morning that the veteran general passed away due to the side effects of the chemical weapons used by Saddam Hussein’s regime in eight years of war against Iran in the 1980s.

Gen. Hejazi’s martyr-like death came as shock. Several high-rank foreign officials, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, also expressed condolences to the people of Iran over the death of the Quds Force deputy chief.

In his message to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Haniyeh asked God to bless the general’s soul. He also offered his sincere condolences to the Quds Force commander as well as Hejzai’s family and the brotherly nation of Iran.

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.

Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, also sent a message to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and offered his condolences to the IRGC staff, Quds Force, and Hejazi’s family.

SA/PA