DAMASCUS, Syria — An Israeli airstrike that destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria on Monday resulted in the deaths of two Iranian generals and five officers, as confirmed by Iranian officials. This attack indicates a heightened level of Israel’s targeting of military officials from Iran, which provides support to militant groups engaged in conflict with Israel in Gaza and along the border with Lebanon.
Since the onset of the conflict in Gaza nearly six months ago, there has been an increase in clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza that launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, also receives support from Iran.
Israel, which rarely acknowledges strikes against Iranian targets, declined to comment on the recent attack in Syria. However, a military spokesperson attributed a drone attack early Monday on a naval base in southern Israel to Iran.
Israel’s patience has worn thin with the ongoing exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, which have intensified in recent days, prompting warnings of a potential full-scale war. Additionally, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching long-range missiles towards Israel, including on Monday.
The airstrike in Syria claimed the lives of Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who commanded the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, along with his deputy Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi and five other officers, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
A member of Hezbollah, Hussein Youssef, was also among the casualties, as confirmed by an anonymous official from the militant group. Hezbollah has not publicly announced Youssef’s death.
Hezbollah expressed condolences to Iran for the loss of Zahedi and criticized Israel for its actions, warning that the killing of leaders would not deter the people’s resistance and would result in retaliation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two Syrians also lost their lives in the airstrike.
Two police officers guarding the consulate were injured, and rescue efforts were ongoing to search for bodies in the rubble.
While the Iranian consular building was destroyed, the main embassy building remained intact. However, the Iranian ambassador’s residence was located within the consulate building.
Iran’s ambassador, Hossein Akbari, vowed to seek revenge for the attack with equal force.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both Palestinian militant groups supported by Iran, accused Israel of trying to escalate the conflict in Gaza.
Experts believe that Iran will retaliate in response to the strike in Syria, which they view as a significant escalation in tensions.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, called on other nations to condemn the attack.
Israel has targeted numerous Iranian-linked sites in Syria over the years in an effort to disrupt arms transfers and cooperation with Hezbollah, which has deployed thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.
In previous incidents, Israeli airstrikes in Damascus resulted in the deaths of Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers. The recent drone attack on a naval base in southern Israel was attributed to Iran.
Early on Tuesday, a weapon fired from Syria towards Israel crashed before reaching its intended target.
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Reporting by Chehayeb in Beirut. Contributions to this report by Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Abby Sewell in Los Angeles, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington.
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This story has been updated to correct the name of one of the generals to Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
