Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 22, 1987

We did not have an operation on the front last night and we have no news to broadcast today. Due to the crisis of urban war, we need news of victory. Mr. Hosni Saadi [Army Ground Force Commander] came. He gave explanations about the failure of Karbala 6 operation and the future plan. Iraq has made an attack on Salehiya Island, which has been suppressed. I told Mr. Rezaei to be more careful. In the evening, we went around the city of Ahvaz to relieve fatigue.

A large number of Iraqi planes, which were said to be about sixty planes, came to bomb Ahvaz. The Haq missile site launched five missiles at them, three of which were shot down, and pieces of a plane landed around our residence, which the guards brought inside.

Mr. [Mohammed Baqir] Zul Qadr, commander of the Ramadan base, explained the operation plan inside Iraq. The pilots came to bomb Iraq. Mr. [Hussein] Alayi [commander of the IRGC Navy] came and explained the process of firing a Sahel missile into the China Sea at a ship at nine o'clock last night. It was claimed that the missile hit the ship.

Kuwait announced that a mortar exploded on Filke Island last night. It seems that Mahmoli wanted to announce the sound of the explosion and refrained from announcing it to avoid creating an atmosphere of insecurity on the eve of the Islamic Conference. It was supposed to be shot tomorrow night.

Today, Iraq attacked more than ten of our cities and martyred more than two hundred people. I spoke with Ayatollah Khamenei on the phone and suggested to build a shelter. Apparently, the war of the cities continues. Mr. [Mohsen] Rezaei informed that tonight we will have five operations in the Karbala area and we will probably have a limited attack in the six [operation area] of Karbala.