Iranian journalist Mohsen Khazaei, a reporter for the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Agency (IRIB), was killed on November 12, 2016, while covering clashes in the Minyan district of western Aleppo, his network and Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported. IRIB cameraman Tamer Sandooq was also injured in the same incident, the outlets said.
Khazaei’s employer said he was killed when shrapnel from a mortar blast struck his head. Fars News Agency reported that Khazaei’s cameraman, Sandooq, was hit with shrapnel in the shoulder and was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The IRIB crew was covering efforts by pro-government forces to regain control of western Aleppo territory captured by rebels attempting to break the government siege on eastern Aleppo. According to the independent Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the pro-opposition Baladi News Network, government forces backed by foreign militias held back a rebel counterattack in the Minyan district the day Khazaei was killed.
Iran-backed armed groups from both Lebanon and Iraq have provided essential support to government forces fighting in and around Aleppo, according to the Associated Press.
Khazaei, born in 1972, began working with IRIB as an audio engineer in 1995, the broadcaster reported. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.