An Israeli airstrike has destroyed the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, killing or wounding everyone inside, Syrian state media said Monday. The Iranian Arabic-language state television Al-Alam and pan-Arab television station Al-Mayadeen, which has reporters in Syria, said the strike killed Iranian military adviser Gen. Ali Reza Zahdi, who led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016.
Quick Read
- An Israeli airstrike targeted and destroyed the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, causing casualties among everyone inside.
- Syrian state media reported the incident, noting the destruction and casualties.
- The strike reportedly killed Gen. Ali Reza Zahdi, a former leader of the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, according to Iranian Arabic-language state TV Al-Alam and Al-Mayadeen TV.
- Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari reported up to seven deaths, with ongoing searches for more victims; two police officers guarding the building were injured.
- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, after speaking with Akbari and in a call with his Iranian counterpart, condemned the attack, stating several were killed.
- The Iranian ambassador’s residence was located in the consular building, which was adjacent to the embassy.
- The attack took place in the Mazzeh neighborhood, known for its tight security, with the building being completely leveled.
- The Israeli military has not commented on the incident; however, Israel has historically conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria, often targeting Iran-affiliated groups like Hezbollah.
- The frequency of such airstrikes has increased amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas and tensions with Hezbollah along the Lebanon-Israel border.
- Israel’s stated aim with these operations is to target bases of Iran-backed militant groups like Hezbollah, which supports Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime with fighters.
The Associated Press has the story:
Syria: Israeli airstrike destroyed Iran’s consulate building in Damascus, with deaths
Newslooks- DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) —
An Israeli airstrike has destroyed the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, killing or wounding everyone inside, Syrian state media said Monday.
The strike appears to signify an escalation of Israel’s targeting of Iranian military officials and their allies in Syria, which have intensified since Hamas militants — who are supported by Iran — attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
The Iranian Arabic-language state television Al-Alam and pan-Arab television station Al-Mayadeen, which has reporters in Syria, said the strike killed Iranian military adviser Gen. Ali Reza Zahdi, who led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, according to the Iranian Arabic-language state television channel Al-Alam and pan-Arab television station Al-Mayadeen, which has reporters in Syria.
Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari condemned Israel and said as many as seven people were killed, but first responders were still searching for any other bodies under the rubble. He said two police officers who guard the building were wounded.
Charles Lister, director of the Syria program of the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, called the strike a “major escalation.” The attack is sure to draw retaliation, he wrote on the social media platform X.
In comments to the media after meeting Akbari, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said “several” people were killed. Mekdad in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, condemned Israel over the attack.
Iranian state television said the Iranian ambassador’s residence was in the consular building, which stood next to the embassy.
A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Nasser Kanaani, called on the global community to condemn the strike. Iranian state television said the Iranian ambassador’s residence was inside the consular building, which stood next to the embassy. The main embassy remained intact.
State news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military source, said the building in the tightly guarded neighborhood of Mazzeh was leveled.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years.
Such airstrikes have escalated in recent months against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ongoing clashes between Israel’s military and Hezbollah on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Though it rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, Israel has said it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.
An Israeli airstrike in a Damascus neighborhood in December killed a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, Seyed Razi Mousavi. A similar strike on a building in Damascus in January killed at least five Iranian advisers. Last week, airstrikes over the strategic eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour near the Iraqi border killed an Iranian adviser.
