What is Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite force of Iran?

The military capabilities of Iran are under the spotlight as Tehran and Tel Aviv continue to trade a war of words and rockets at each other. Many fear that the two countries, who have been engaged in a proxy war for decades, could engage in a full-blown confrontation if hostilities continue to escalate.

CREDIT: REUTERS

What is IRGC

It is in this context that the role the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has played in this conflict over the decades is being examined. The IRGC is an elite unit of the Iranian Armed Forces but is independent of the regular Iranian Army.

History of IRGC

As the name suggests, the IRGC emerged out of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and is the custodian of the values of the Islamic Republic. It was established by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, and initially, the IRGC's objective was to safeguard the regime from anti-revolution forces.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Current roles of IRGC

However, over the years, the IRGC has evolved into a much larger military and political force in Iran, with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence, and special forces. The IRGC is estimated to have a fighting force of between 150,000 and 190,000 personnel.

Arming militant groups

While the Iranian Army protects the country's sovereignty, the IRGC is largely aimed at defending the Islamic Republic of Iran against internal and external threats.

However, the IRGC is mostly known for its asymmetric warfare and covert operations. It is also the force that has been training and arming various anti-Israel militant groups in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Ahmed Al-Heela, a Palestinian expert on Iran¡¯s axis of resistance, told Al Jazeera Arabic that ¡°There is an organic and structural connection between the IRGC and Hezbollah.¡±

The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, Canada, Sweden, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Top IRGC commanders killed in recent years

Last week, it was revealed that Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, the deputy commander of operations for IRGC Quds Forces, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

In April this year, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC, was assassinated by Israel in Syria.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Qasem Soleimani the commander of IRGC Quds Force, was assassinated by a targeted drone strike in January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq.

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