Israel kills top IRGC commander in Damascus
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israeli strikes on Monday targeted the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing a top commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), Iranian media reported.
Syrian state-owned SANA news agency reported that Israeli “aggression” struck the building housing the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, causing great damage. It also claimed that the Syrian defence forces intercepted several rockets.
Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Iran Lebanese media outlet, reported that Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, was killed in the bombardment. The IRGC and Iranian media also reported the death, citing al-Mayadeen.
SANA did not confirm the death of the senior Iranian commander.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least six people were killed in the “Israeli” bombardment.
The Syrian defence ministry said in a statement that the attack was launched from the Golan Heights, highlighting that casualties were reported. Late on Sunday the ministry reported that at least two people were wounded as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian capital that day.
Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Hossein Akbari told reporters that the attack was carried out by F-35 fighter jets, adding that between five to seven people were killed in the strikes.
"Iran's response to Israel will be harsh," he was cited by Iranian state media as saying.
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing late Monday that Washington is "gathering information" about the Damascus attack.
"We are always concerned about anything that would be escalatory or cause an increase in the conflict in the region," he added.
Israel, which has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its nearly 13-year civil war, often claiming to strike pro-Iran militias such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah that supports the Syrian army, has not commented on either Sunday's or Monday's attack.
Tel Aviv has intensified its strikes on Syria since October 7. It has attacked Syrian territory at least 29 times since the start of the year, killing at least 125 people and wounding over 67 others, according to SOHR.
The Golan Heights were previously controlled by Syria but were seized by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed in 1981, although this is not recognized by most of the international community.
Updated at 8:41 pm