Iran Names New Military Commanders After Fighting Israel

JAKARTA - Iran has appointed a new commander to lead the country's air force and air defense, months after the war with Israel.

Brigadier General Alireza Elhami became the commander of Iran's air defense and Brigadier General Bahman Behmard is now the air force commander.

Quoted from The National (18/12) both were promoted earlier this week as Iran tries to strengthen its air defenses.

Previously, Brigadier General Elhami served as deputy commander of the air force since 2019 and had previously led the Air Defense University. He also held the position of deputy commander of operations at the Khatam Al Anbia Air Defense Headquarters.

He replaces Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard, who was in charge of air defense when the war with Israel broke out. No official reason was given for the change.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Behmard has served since 2023 as deputy chief of operations at the General Staff of the Armed Forces. He replaced Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi.

Many senior Iranian military commanders were killed in the first few hours of the Israeli air strike in June.

Earlier this month, former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country was vulnerable to Israeli air raids. Tehran's efforts to deter Israel had failed, he said.

"We no longer have any real deterrence. Our neighboring countries - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan - all have airspace controlled by the United States and Israel," Rouhani said.

"The sky over Iran has become completely safe for the enemy," he added.

Rouhani himself served as Iran's air defense commander from 1985-1991.

During the conflict in June, the Israeli air force dominated Iran's airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country's air defenses, while the Iranian armed forces launched a barrage of missiles and drones into Israeli territory.

Before the war, Iran was protected by its own long-range air defense system, Bavar-373 and the Russian-made S-300 system.

Iran admits that the war with Israel caused some damage to its air defenses.