IRGC commander killed in fierce gunbattle in Iran's volatile Sistan-Baluchestan province

Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, head of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed in a gunfight with militants in the Jihadabad district of Sistan and Baluchestan. Iranian state media said the operation targeted an "enemy-backed" terrorist group that had been planning an attack, and that five of its members were killed while others were detained and their weapons confiscated. The clash, which involved the IRGC, the Intelligence Ministry and police, continued into the early morning, with heavy gunfire reported near the Pakistan border.

Baloch rights group Haalvsh confirmed the ongoing fighting and noted additional Iranian casualties, including intelligence officer Ahmad Herati Zeraati. The incident follows a series of recent security actions in the province, which has long been a hotspot for armed Baloch groups and cross-border violence.