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Iran Says Colonel Killed In Roadside Bombing Attack In Syria.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with the IRGC members involved in the arrest of U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf in January 2016.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with the IRGC members involved in the arrest of U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf in January 2016.

Iran says that Colonel Davoud Jafari, a senior commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has been killed in Syria by a roadside bomb in an attack Tehran blamed on Israel.

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency on November 23 published a statement from the group in which it said Jafari was an adviser to the IRGC's aerospace division. The statement added that Israel was responsible for the operation, though it presented no evidence to back up the claim.
Tasnim published a photo of Jafari next to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which showed that he was involved in the arrest of U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf in January 2016. Independent sources have not yet confirmed the Tasnim report and Israel has not reacted to it either. Tehran admits it has provided military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in a civil war since at least 2012 in the form of military advisers and volunteers, but denies sending its own troops. Even so, Iranian media have reported the death of a handful of Iranian commanders along with hundreds of Iranian fighters in Syria. Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for years, worsening already strained relations between them. Further heightening tensions are deadlocked negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

In the absence of a deal that would curb Iran's sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, Tehran has reduced its commitments and expanded its nuclear activities, raising concern in Israel.
The news of Jafari's death comes after an Israeli official blamed Iran for a November 15 strike on the Pacific Zircon tanker, which is managed by Israeli-controlled Eastern Pacific Shipping. Tehran has also accused Israel of carrying out a recent spate of assassinations and sabotage attacks inside the Islamic republic.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

U.S. business leaders meet with China’s president as Beijing seeks closer ties

U.S. business leaders meet with China’s president as Beijing seeks closer ties

NBC News' Janis Mackey Frayer reports from Beijing, where a number of U.S. business leaders, including the CEOs of Blackstone, Qualcomm, Bloomberg, Chubb and FedEx, met with the Chinese president » Subscribe to NBC News: NBC News Digital is a coll...

NBC News -

Visa, Mastercard agree to lower ‘swipe fees’ for merchants.

Visa, Mastercard agree to lower ‘swipe fees’ for merchants.

To settle a class action lawsuit, the companies have agreed to lower the rates they charge merchants and not raise them for at least five years. Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Liv...

ABC News 1

Gaza Hospital Patients in Jerusalem Face Uncertainty.

Gaza Hospital Patients in Jerusalem Face Uncertainty.

Israel has ordered Palestinian hospital patients back to the Gaza Strip after they’re done with treatment in East Jerusalem medical facilities. As Linda Gradstein reports from East Jerusalem, the order has sparked an outcry, and the Israeli Suprem...

VOA News 1

Watch live: Queen Camilla visits Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and meets with local volunteers.

Watch live: Queen Camilla visits Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and meets with local volunteers.

Watch live as Queen Camilla visits Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and meets with local volunteers. More here: #RoyalFamily #Camilla #KingCharles #Visit #Event #SkyNews SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: Follow us on Twitter: Like us o...

Sky News 2

'Disturbing sight': Eyewitnesses recount seeing the Baltimore bridge collapse.

'Disturbing sight': Eyewitnesses recount seeing the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Baltimore eyewitnesses Christian Miller and Toby Gutermuth describe the moment the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo ship collided with the structure. Miller and Gutermuth drove over the bridge approximately 30 minutes before it col...

NBC News -

Sean  «Diddy»  Combs' lawyer slams raids at Los Angeles, Miami homes.

Sean «Diddy» Combs' lawyer slams raids at Los Angeles, Miami homes.

A lawyer representing Sean "Diddy" Combs called the raids at the musician's Los Angeles and Miami homes a "gross overuse of military-level force." The raids were part of a possible ongoing sex trafficking investigation, U.S. officials confirmed Mo...

CBS News -