Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday’s attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus killed two generals and five officers of the military organization. This was reported by the AP agency with reference to an official communiqué. Tehran earlier blamed Israel for the attack and threatened retaliation.
The destroyed building of the Iranian consulate in Damascus
| Photo: AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki
According to Iran’s Arabic-language state television Al-Alam, the Iranian consulate building was completely destroyed by the airstrike. The Syrian Ministry of Defense, quoted by AFP, said that all persons who were there at the time were killed or injured.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahyan, according to local media cited by Reuters, made Israel responsible for the consequences of the attack on the consulate. According to him, the act is a “violation of all international conventions”.
According to the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran reserves the right to take reciprocal action in response to an Israeli attack. “Tehran will decide on the type of response and punishment against the aggressor,” the ministry said.
In an evening statement, the Revolutionary Guards confirmed earlier reports by Reuters and Iranian media that one of the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Zahadi, was killed in the attack. According to the media, he commanded the Iranian Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon since 2016, which supports Tehran’s network of allies abroad.
The statement mentions Mohammad Rahimi as the second of the Revolutionary Guard generals killed on April 1 in Damascus.
The hospital raid was part of Israel’s campaign in Gaza:
The Israelis left Shifa Hospital. Hundreds were left dead in the compound, authorities say
Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, condemned the attack and said seven people were killed. According to him, the rescuers are still searching under the rubble. Among the injured are two policemen who were guarding the building. He threatened Israel with severe retaliation, Reuters reported.
“We do not comment on reports in foreign media,” said a spokeswoman for the Israeli army, according to Reuters.
For many years, Israel in Syria has been attacking targets linked to Iran or Tehran, supported by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement. The attacks have intensified since last October, when the Palestinian movement Hamas launched an attack terrorist attack on Israel. Targets near Damascus were also targeted by airstrikes on Sunday. More than 50 people were killed in airstrikes in northwest Syria on Friday, including Syrian soldiers and members of Hezbollah, according to the exiled opposition organization SOHR.
