Attack on Iranian embassy in Damascus, senior commander killed

NOS News•today, 6:00 PM•Amended today, 9:15 PM

A senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has been killed in a bombardment of the Syrian capital Damascus. This was reported by Reuters news agency and Iranian state television, among others. Iran claims Israel is behind the attack.

Syrian state media reported that the bombardment hit the grounds of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. A consular building was completely destroyed, causing at least eight deaths.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, one of the key pillars of the Tehran regime, said the dead included two generals and five other Revolutionary Guards officers. Among them was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the leaders of the Quds Force, responsible for foreign operations. His aide, General Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi, was also reported to have been killed.

These are images from just after the bombing:

Bombing of Iranian embassy in Damascus: ‘Iranian commander killed’

Iran has reacted angrily to the bombing of the diplomatic post. According to Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, it is “a violation of all international agreements.” A ministry spokesperson said Iran reserves the right to respond with actions.

Israel does not respond to the news, as it rarely does in these types of cases. “We do not comment on reports in foreign media,” an army spokesman told Reuters.

Since the outbreak of the war with Hamas, Israel has also increased the number of attacks on targets in Syria. There are many militias in that country that are affiliated with the regime of Iran, Israel’s arch enemy.

In late December, a suspected Israeli airstrike killed another Iranian Revolutionary Guard general, Sayyed Razi Mousavi. That happened in a suburb of Damascus.

In this explainer we explain more about Iran’s role in the Middle East: