Report: Explosion near Syrian capital kills Iranian colonel

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says an explosion in Syria has killed one of its officers. The Guards on Wednesday identified the officer killed as Col. Davoud Jafari, blaming Israel for the blast. The Iranian paramilitary group said Jafari was working for its airspace division. Iran has been a main supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s 11-year civil war and has sent thousands of Iran-backed fighters from around the region to fight alongside his forces. Dozens of Iranian forces have been killed in the war, though Tehran has long said it has only a military advisory role in Syria.