SAEDNEWS: It could perhaps be said that the most senior and experienced commander who was assassinated and martyred by Israel during the 12-day war was General Gholamali Rashid, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters.
According to Saed News, Hossein Alaei, former commander of the IRGC Navy, said:
"I have known him closely for over 44 years. He was a serious, insightful, strategic, and operational commander—an analyst with a clear understanding of war, its necessities, and its consequences.
At the same time, he was a free-minded, thoughtful, faithful, and hardworking individual who, from his youth until the end of his 72-year life, never took off the uniform of jihad and defense of the Islamic Revolution and Iran. Having been imprisoned during the Shah’s era in his youth, he was a devoted follower of Imam Khomeini (may God have mercy on him), and he followed only his path in the struggle against the tyrannical monarchy.
Before Saddam attacked Iran, he made great efforts to organize the IRGC forces in Dezful for the defense of Khuzestan’s borders. A close friend and comrade of the martyr Hassan Bagheri, from the very first day of Saddam's war against Iran until the end of the war, he became one of the key commanders in planning major operations to drive the invading army out of Iranian soil.
Rashid had a realistic and accurate understanding of the enemy's situation and of our own capabilities, and veteran army commanders acknowledged his military insight and expertise. He was a military specialist and a man of study, always expressing his opinions clearly and working to create balance in the power equations on the battlefield between Iran and its enemies.
In the operation command room, he could easily map out the positions and capacities of both enemy and friendly forces, paying great attention to depicting field and strategic realities. On Saturday, June 29, during the sorrowful funeral of him, his young son Abbas, and other martyrs, a friend mentioned that Rashid had once dreamed of becoming a painter in his youth. Perhaps that explains why he was so skilled in drawing maps on operational overlays and was always seen with a pen and marker in hand.
He was one of the few remaining commanders from the senior leadership of the Sacred Defense era, holding important military positions alongside other figures like Generals Mohammad Bagheri, Gholamreza Mehrabi, and Mehdi Rabani.
General Rashid had a realistic and accurate understanding of the enemy’s status and Iran’s capabilities, and even senior army commanders acknowledged his military comprehension and proficiency. He was a knowledgeable military expert, well-read and thoughtful, who always expressed his views candidly and sought to balance power dynamics in Iran’s conflicts with its adversaries.
In Farvardin 1403 (March–April 2024), I met with him and General Mohammad Bagheri for Nowruz. I told them that, in my opinion, Israel intended to assassinate all leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as IRGC commanders involved in Palestinian affairs, and that Netanyahu aimed to expand the war in the region.
Rashid agreed with this assessment. I told him it would be wise for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategy to focus on avoiding Israeli provocations, protecting commanders from Israel's modern assassination tactics, and adopting policies to prevent Israel from succeeding in its attempts to assassinate commanders or start a war with Iran. Nevertheless, Israel continued its crimes and even assassinated him and other dear commanders, committing a grave tragedy.
In the photo, Sardar Rashid is the man in the middle wearing khaki, and on the left is Sardar Hossein Alaei.
In recent years, Sardar Rashid made great efforts to build Iran's deterrent power. He never welcomed the outbreak of war, but believed that if the enemy perceived Iran as weak in any social, economic, or military domain, it would inevitably resort to war.
Rashid had a questioning mind and was one of the few commanders who, throughout the imposed war with Saddam and after, documented all operational discussions and key events in numerous notebooks. He had a sharp memory. Today, there must be hundreds of notebooks and writings left behind by him, which are among the most valuable defense records of Iran. I hope they are preserved, compiled, and published.
May his path be continued, and heartfelt condolences to the resilient families and friends of our beloved martyrs.
