Mohammad Reza Zahedi, senior commander of a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC), died in an airstrike carried out this Monday by the Israeli Army against Damascus, reports Tasnim. In addition, among the deceased is General Haji Rahimi, deputy of Reza Zahedi.
At least eight people are believed to have been killed in a bombing on a building attached to the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack has been attributed to Israel by authorities.
Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, stated this Monday that Tehran will respond “harshly” to Israel for the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
“The Zionist regime (Israel) acts against international laws, so it will receive a harsh response from us,” Akbari told 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 fighters.
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The Revolutionary Guard confirmed the deaths of Zahedi and his number two, Sardar Haji Rahimi, and referred to them as “some of the highest-ranking Iranian military officers in Syria.” He has also released the names of five other military officers who died in the attack.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian stated that the attack was “a violation of all international obligations and conventions,” and blamed Israel for any consequences it may have, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. “I emphasize the need for a serious response by the international community to such criminal actions,” the statement added.
While the Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal al Miqdad, conveyed his country’s support for Iran and said that Israel “will not be able to influence relations” between the two states. Israel did not comment on this accusation, and it is its policy not to affirm or deny accusations of attacks of this type.
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