General killed in Damascus played a key role in the relationship between Iran and Hezbollah

Since the deadly rocket attack on General Qassem Soleimani in the Iraqi capital Baghdad four years ago, the Revolutionary Guards have not been hit as hard as last weekend. As commander of the Quds Force, Soleimani was the face of Iranian interference in conflicts in the region for twenty years.

Mohammad Reza Zahedi was also eliminated by an airstrike. In addition to him, ten more people were killed, including six other members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Reporters from the Reuters news agency said on Sunday they saw rescuers fighting their way through the rubble in the embassy district of Mazzeh in Damascus. An outbuilding of the Iranian embassy complex had recently been hit by a series of rockets. An Iranian flag flew from a pole in front of the destroyed complex, and dark smoke rose above the remains of the consulate building.

Zahedi has been the highest commander of the Guard in Syria for several years. He joined the elite corps in 1981 as a 19-year-old, two years after the Iranian Revolution. During the First Persian Gulf War between Iran and Iraq, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, he steadily rose within the Revolutionary Guards.

In 2005, Zahedi acquired an important position in the ground forces. Under his leadership, protests in the capital Tehran were severely suppressed. He subsequently became an important linchpin in contacts with President Assad’s regime in Syria, even after a bloody civil war had broken out in his country.

‘Crucial’ aid to Hezbollah

In addition, Zahedi maintained close contacts with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and ensured that Iranian-made rockets ended up with the Lebanese militants. Zahedi played a “crucial role in advancing” the armed militia, Hezbollah wrote in a laudatory statement on Tuesday.

Almost immediately after the attack, several countries pointed the finger at Israel, Tehran’s long-time arch enemy. That country has not openly admitted to being behind the air strikes, but behind the scenes sources have stated to The New York Times that it was indeed Israel that struck in Damascus.

Zahedi’s death represents another blow to Iran. In December, Tehran accused Israel of killing another leader, top general Razi Mousavi, in an airstrike on Syrian territory. The loss of Zahedi further increases tensions between Tehran and Israel.

Although Iran supplies weapons to Hezbollah, which is fighting Israel in southern Lebanon, it has so far avoided direct conflict. On Tuesday, however, Tehran vowed https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1775125899836301737, through the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. “The Zionist regime will be severely punished by our brave men.” Hezbollah has also warned that the attack will not go unpunished.