Israeli bombing near the Iranian embassy in Syria leaves 8 dead

An airstrike attributed to Israel against the Iranian consulate building in Damascus killed at least eight people, among them a prominent commander of the Guards of the Islamic Revolution, according to an Iranian media.

“Brigadier General Mohamad Reza Zahedi, one of the senior commanders of the Quds Force, was martyred in an attack by fighters of the Zionist regime against the consulate building of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus,” Iranian state television reported in Tehran.

The Quds Force is the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), a UK-based NGO with an extensive network of informants on the ground in Syria, reported at least eight deaths, including the regional head of the Quds Force and five other members of the Guardians.

Previously, in Damascus, the official Syrian news agency SANA had reported an Israeli attack that “targeted the Iranian consulate building in the Mazeh neighborhood of Damascus.”

Israel did not comment, which since the beginning, on October 7, of its war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, has intensified attacks against other groups linked to this Palestinian movement and like it backed by Iran.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad “strongly condemned this atrocious terrorist attack”, which caused numerous deaths and injuries according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.

“The Israeli enemy launched airstrikes from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus,” the ministry said in a statement. “The attack destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside, and work is underway to recover the bodies and rescue the injured from the rubble.”he added.

Iran promises tough response to Israel

Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, stated on April 1 that Tehran will respond “toughly” to Israel for the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

“The Zionist regime (Israel) acts against international laws, for which it will receive a harsh response from us”Akbari said in statements to Iranian state television from Damascus.

The diplomat witnessed from the window of the Iranian embassy the attack on the consulate, which according to him, was carried out with F-35 fighter planes.