Seven officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite troops of Iran’s clerical regime, were killed in the attack in Damascus attributed to Israel, including senior Iranian commanders Mohammed Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, according to an official statement of the IRGC, quoted by CNN. Iran threatens a harsh response following this attack.
Russia condemns ‘unacceptable’ attack
UPDATE 00:15, April 2 – Russian diplomacy condemned on Monday the “unacceptable” attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, accusing the Israeli army of being responsible for this attack, informs AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
“On the evening of April 1, the Israeli air force struck the building of the Iranian consulate in Damascus,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We strongly condemn this unacceptable attack against the Iranian consular mission in Syria,” added the statement, which also states that any attack against a diplomatic building is “unacceptable.”
“We call on Israeli leaders to stop provocative acts of armed violence against the territory of Syria and neighboring countries,” the ministry concluded, warning of “extremely dangerous consequences” for the region.
Haji Rahimi, the second high-ranking commander killed in the attack
UPDATE 23:50 – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite troops of the clerical regime in Iran, announced that another top commander in the Iranian army died in the attack that targeted the consulate in Damascus.
Haji Rahimi was identified as the second high-ranking commander killed in the attack on the Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital, according to a statement released Monday evening by the state news agency IRNA.
Haji Rahimi would have been the coordinator of the Quds Force, according to the semi-official Iranian agency Tasnim.
The IRGC statement also named five other of its officials who were killed: Hossein Aman Elahi, Mehdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sedaghat, Ali Aghababaee and Ali Salehi Roozbahani.
The total number of victims is at least seven people.
“The Zionist regime will receive a harsh response from us”
UPDATE 20:30 – Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hussein Akbari, said on Monday that Tehran would respond “harshly” to Israel following the earlier bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which left at least eight dead, including a commander of the Revolutionary Guards. transmits the EFE agency, quoted by Agerpres.
“The Zionist regime (Israel) is acting against international law, which is why it will receive a harsh response from us,” the ambassador said in a statement from Damascus to Iranian public television.
The Iranian diplomat also stated that he watched from a window of the embassy building as the consulate, whose building is next to the embassy, was hit. According to the Iranian ambassador, the attack was carried out with F-35 planes.
Iranian television stated that among the victims of the attack is General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the main commanders of the al-Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards.
Original news:
Israeli warplanes struck the Iranian consulate in Damascus on Monday, and a Lebanese security source told Reuters that a high-ranking commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in the attack, Reuters reports. Iran soon reacted and promised a “tough response”.
Reuters reporters on the scene in the Mezzeh neighborhood of the Syrian capital saw smoke rising from the rubble of a destroyed building and emergency vehicles parked outside.
“We do not comment on foreign media reports,” an Israeli military spokesman said.
Syrian state television confirmed that the consulate headquarters were attacked, Reuters notes, quoted by News.ro.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that a building near the embassy was hit, and an Iranian news agency said the target was the consulate and the ambassador’s residence.
Since the October 7 attack on Israel by the Iranian-backed Palestinian group Hamas, Israel has stepped up airstrikes in Syria against the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), both of which support the government of President Bashar al -Assad.
Editor: Liviu Cojan
Tags: Israel bombed Iranian consulate Damascus killed highranking military commanders Tehran promises tough response
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