Operation Mersad

Operation Mersad (Persian: عملیات مرصاد, lit. 'Operation Ambush') was the Iranian counteroffensive against the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK)'s July 1988 incursion into western Iran, which the MEK code-named Operation Forough Javidan (عملیات فروغ جاویدان, 'Operation Eternal Light'). These operations were among the last major military actions of the Iran–Iraq War. In July 1988, 7,000 MEK militants launched Operation Eternal Light, a major offensive from Iraqi territory that began on 26 July and aimed to capture key cities such as Kermanshah and ultimately topple the Iranian government. The ensuing Iranian counteroffensive, known as Operation Mersad and led by Lieutenant-General Ali Sayad Shirazi of the Iranian Armed Forces, defeated the MEK within a few days.