Iran accuses Israel of killing generals in Syria strike
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards report that seven officers have lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, the capital of Syria. Among the deceased are Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a high-ranking commander of the elite Quds Force, and Brig-Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi, his deputy.
BREAKING: Sardar Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the veteran commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Iranian Embassy and residence adjacent to in Damascus, Syria .
He was commander of the IRGC's ground forces, the… pic.twitter.com/SLWZbbMcDx— The Khorasan Diary (@khorasandiary) April 1, 2024
Both the Iranian and Syrian governments have denounced the attack, which destroyed a neighbouring building adjacent to the Iranian embassy.
The Israeli military said it does not comment on foreign media reports, but it has admitted to conducting numerous strikes in Syria in recent years, targeting groups it claims are linked with Iran and allied militant groups supported, financed, and trained by the Revolutionary Guards.
These Israeli strikes are said to have intensified since the start of the conflict in Gaza last October, in response to cross-border assaults on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned factions in Lebanon and Syria.
However, the assault on Monday represents a significant escalation.