Hoveyzeh is one of the cities of Khuzestan Province that fell under Iraqi occupation in the early months of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and was liberated after sixteen months.

Hoveyzeh is an Arabic word derived from “ Hiyazat”, meaning to cultivate and make prosperous. The city and its surroundings flourished during the Islamic caliphate era, with Kooshk-e Hoveyzeh and Kooshk-e Basri serving as two strong fortified castles and defensive strongholds.⁠[1]

Hoveyzeh is the southernmost city of the Dasht-e Azadegan and the administrative center of the Hoveyzeh district, located 15 kilometers southwest of Susangerd and 72 kilometers west of Ahvaz, bordering Iraq to the south and west. The city has many palm groves and a hot, dry, arid climate, somewhat moderated due to its proximity to the western part of Hoor al-Hoveyzeh (Hawizeh Marshes).⁠[2]

The residents of Hoveyzeh belong to two groups — the Deyalameh and Bani Asad — and are Twelver Shia Muslims⁠[3] who speak Persian and Arabic.⁠[4]

Until the Reza Khan coup of 1921, Hoveyzeh was under tribal rule. The Pahlavi regime created conflicts among the local people, thereby undermining the unity between the tribes and the local population.⁠[5]

In 1972, religious figures established Quran schools at the Grand Mosque and the Seyyed al-Shuhada (as) Mosque, which became important centers of resistance against the Pahlavi regime in 1978.⁠[6]

From 1979, the Baathist government began taking actions against the Islamic Republic in Hoveyzeh. The city was particularly important to Iraq because of its Arabic-speaking population. Iraq used pan-Arabist and tribal propaganda to recruit local sympathizers, carrying out acts of sabotage — including mine and bomb planting — to portray Hoveyzeh as unsafe.⁠[7] In addition, Iraq supported anti-revolutionary groups and smuggled supplies through Hoor al-Hoveyzeh, urging them to stir unrest in border cities. Iraqi reconnaissance aircraft also were violating Iranian airspace everyday.⁠[8]

After the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was established in Dasht-e Azadegan, patrols and protection of the Hoor al-Hoveyzeh began with the help of local people, and Iraqi infiltration was partly stopped. In May 1980, the governor of Iraq’ s Maysan (Al-Amara) Governorate sent a letter to tribal leaders along the Hoor al-Hoveyzeh border, stating that the Iraqi army would soon come to Ahvaz to liberate “ Arabistan”⁠[9] from the Persians, and requesting their cooperation. The tribal leaders immediately showed the letter to Ayatollah Seyyed Khezr Mousavi, head of Khuzestan’ s Islamic Revolutionary Court, and said that they would not betray their country and Revolution.⁠[10]

Iraq’ s full-scale invasion of Iran began on September 22, 1980. In the very first hours, Iraqi troops encountered resistance from IRGC members, district officials, and Gendarmerie personnel at the Talaiyeh border post south of Hoveyzeh. But they pushed through, overcame the Iranian forces, and kept advancing.⁠[11] On September 23, Iraqi forces with hundreds of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery crossed the Talaiyeh border and entered the Jofeir Plain, threatening the areas around Hoveyzeh. Their attacks intensified on September 24, and the Kooshk post was captured. While advancing toward Ahvaz, the Iraqis seized the Jofeir Plain and targeted the areas around Susangerd and Hoveyzeh with heavy artillery. From September 25, attacks on Hoveyzeh’ s villages began.⁠[12] With the occupation of Bostan on September 26 and Susangerd on September 28,⁠[13] Hoveyzeh was encircled. On September 28, Iraqi forces entered the city and seized the police post.⁠[14] Iraqi soldiers stormed the market shops, tore down pictures of Imam Khomeini (ra), and replaced them with pictures of Saddam. The Iraqis appointed a school caretaker named Hamid Kuti as district governor.⁠[15] In the meantime, the city’ s elders and revolutionary forces were planning to drive out the Iraqi troops. On September 30, revolutionary forces marched into the street where the police post was located, chanting “ Neither the East nor the West; Death to the Baathists”.⁠[16] That same day, the martyrdom of a twelve-year-old girl named Saham Khayyam added to the growing crowd of demonstrators, and by 11 AM, the people had regained control of the city.⁠[17]

On October 1, Hoveyzeh was heavily bombed, and the district governor, Hamed Jarfi, was wounded and fell into a coma. Around this time, Ali Shamkhani (martyred), commander of the Khuzestan IRGC, appointed Asghar Gandomkar as commander of the Hoveyzeh IRGC, and therefore, the Hoveyzeh IRGC was formally established. Many of its intelligence operatives were tribal members and villagers who identified Iraqi positions and occasionally launched surprise attacks on them.⁠[18] A number of armed young men from the city joined the people in attacking Iraqi forces, and on October 2, the Iraqis were forced to withdraw.⁠[19]

In November 1980, Iraqi troops resumed their advance toward Susangerd. With Susangerd’ s fall, Hoveyzeh’ s occupation was virtually certain, and on the orders of Ali Shamkhani, the Hoveyzeh IRGC members were dispatched to Susangerd.⁠[20] After Susangerd fell on November 15, the Hoveyzeh IRGC units returned to the city. On November 18, following Gandomkar’ s martyrdom, Hussain Alam al-Huda became the new commander of the Hoveyzeh IRGC.⁠[21]

Operation Nasr began at 10 AM on January 5, 1981.⁠[22] It involved two brigades from the 16th Qazvin Armored Division, one brigade from the 92nd Ahvaz Armored Division, one tank battalion from the 77th Khorasan Division, one IRGC battalion, and a number of irregular warfare fighters. The first day of the operation saw significant gains, with forces advancing approximately thirty kilometers. In subsequent phases, while the southern flank of Iraq’ s 16th Armored Division was putting pressure on the Iranians, repeated Iraqi counterattacks forced the Iranian forces to withdraw. The operation ended on January 6 with the martyrdom of Hussain Alam al-Huda and 140 IRGC members.⁠[23]

Iraqi troops reached the Karkheh Koor on January 8, 1981, and on January 11 positioned around 50 tanks near the village of Sariyeh in Dasht-e Azadegan and advanced to within two kilometers of Hoveyzeh. On January 13, an Iraqi tank battalion and infantry tightened the encirclement further, and two days later — while Hoveyzeh was under Iraqi fire — another Iraqi infantry battalion reached Sariyeh. Hoveyzeh was now encircled not only from the east and south but from the north and west as well,⁠[24] and on January 17, 1981, it fell completely under Iraqi control.⁠[25] Hoveyzeh was the last city of Dasht-e Azadegan to be occupied.⁠[26]

On February 20, 1981, a group of young men from the city formed an organization called Alam al-Huda, which — in coordination with Ali Hashemi, commander of the 4th Khatam al-Anbiya (pbuh) Headquarters — managed to attack the enemy positions and cause damage until the city’ s liberation in May 1982.⁠[27]

Operation Beit a-Muqaddas began at 00:30 AM on Friday, April 30, 1982.⁠[28] In the operation, the Quds Headquarters’ forces were divided into five groups — Quds 1 operating west of Hoveyzeh and Quds 2, 3, 4, and 5 operating to the east.⁠[29]

After sixteen months, Hoveyzeh was liberated from the Iraqi occupation on May 8, 1982.⁠[30] The city, with its 1,900 residential units, several government buildings, one high school, four primary schools, two kindergartens, fourteen historical structures, thirteen shrines, and several parks, had turned into rubble, with only two buildings left standing.⁠[31]

Following the liberation, by order of Imam Khomeini (ra), the Astan-e Quds Razavi Organization took responsibility for rebuilding the city in 1982.⁠[32] Before construction began, the city and surrounding villages were cleared of mines and other explosive devices. People came from across the country to see the crimes committed by Saddam’ s army and the reconstruction projects. This led to the formation of the first organized visits to war-damaged areas.⁠[33] In 1983, the Hoveyzeh Martyrs’ Memorial was built 25 kilometers southwest of the city, south of the Karkheh Noor River in the Hoveyzeh rural district. Seyyed Hussain Alam al-Huda and his companions are buried in this place.⁠[34]

By 1985, reconstruction of Hoveyzeh was complete, with 1,780 residential units and eight educational buildings constructed.⁠[35]

Over the course of the Iran-Iraq War, Hoveyzeh sustained ten Iraqi airstrikes,⁠[36] and the total number of martyrs and wounded reached 215.⁠[37]