Israeli airstrikes on Monday targeted the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, causing significant material damages and killing seven IRGC members, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the IRGC-QF in Syria and Lebanon.
In a statement, the Iraqi foreign ministry “condemned the targeting of the Iranian diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital of Damascus by the Israeli occupational forces.”
“This attack represents a clear and flagrant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty,” the foreign ministry said, adding that it “compromises the security of diplomatic missions that have diplomatic immunity under international laws.”
Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari told reporters that the attack was carried out by F-35 fighter jets, stressing that “Iran’s response to Israel will be harsh.”
Syria’s defense ministry said that “the aggression led to the destruction of the entire building and the killing and injury of everyone inside, and work is underway to recover the bodies from the rubble.”
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its nearly 13-year civil war, often claiming to strike pro-Iran militias such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that supports the Syrian army.
While it rarely comments on strikes attributed to it in Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate its arch-rival Iranian gaining a foothold there.
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