TEHRAN – Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard on Tuesday was appointed as the new commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, the central headquarters of Iran’s air defense.

The base operates under the General Staff of the Armed Forces and is tasked with coordinating operations of Iran’s air defense forces. In a decree on Tuesay, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Muhammad Bagheri appointed Sabahi-Fard as the head of the base after endorsement by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Sabahi-Fard will maintain his previous position as commander of the Army’s Air Defense Force while also taking on the responsibilities of leading the country’s joint air defense command. He succeeds Brigadier General Qader Rahimzadeh, who previously headed the base.