Operation Fath ol-Mobin | |||||||||
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Part of Iran-Iraq War | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Iraq | Iran | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Saddam Hussein |
Ali Sayad Shirazi Hossein Kharrazi Mohammad Boroujerdi |
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Strength | |||||||||
80,000-160,000 soldiers | 80,000-100,000 regulars 40,000 Pasdaran 30,000 Basij 15,000 militia |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
25,000 killed or wounded |
30,000 casualties (mostly Basij) 196 tanks destroyed |
Iranians recapture the Dezful–Shush area
25,000 killed or wounded
15,000-20,000 captured
361 tanks, IFVs and APCs, 18 aircraft, 300 vehicles, 50 artillery pieces and 30 engineering vehicles destroyed.
Operation Fath ol-Mobin (Persian: عملیات فتحالمبین, Quranic phrase meaning "Undeniable Victory" or "Manifest Victory") was a major Iranian military operation conducted during the Iran-Iraq War, in March 1982. The operation was led by Lt. General Ali Sayad Shirazi, and was conducted in four phases.
Some believe that this operation was the turning point in the war and that it led to the eviction of Iraqi troops from Khuzestan. Others (including Efraim Karsh) believe it was actually the operation working in tandem with others which led to the expulsion of Iraqi troops from southern Iran. He believes that in fact, Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas, which lasted from April to May 1982, had the greatest effect, because the Iranians were able to liberate the strategically important city of Khorramshahr.
On 22 September 1980, Saddam Hussein, attempting to repeat the success of the Israeli pre-emptive air strike against the Arab air forces in the Six Day War, launched numerous sorties against Iranian air fields, hoping to destroy the Iranian air force on the ground. Although they failed, Saddam was still not going to be prevented from achieving his aim of establishing complete and utter Iraqi dominance over the Shatt al-Arab, called Arvand Rood in Iran (Persian: اروند رود) waterway. He launched a land invasion of Iran, focusing on southern Iran.