According to Syrian authorities, an Israeli airstrike has demolished the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria’s capital, resulting in casualties.
Among the deceased was a senior Revolutionary Guards commander Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, as reported by Iranian state media.
The targeted building, situated next to the Iranian embassy in the Mezzeh district, was engulfed in smoke and debris, as depicted in images.
The Syrian defense ministry said Israeli aircraft targeted the consulate building from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights at about 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).
Despite Syrian air defenses intercepting some missiles, others struck the consulate and “destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside”, the ministry added.
The ministry said that efforts were underway to retrieve the bodies and aid the wounded trapped under the debris, withholding details about their identities.
Iranian state TV confirmed the death of Brig-Gen Zahedi, identified as a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, alongside several diplomats.
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the 63-year-old was “active in the Quds Force” from 2008 to 2016 and served as commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Lebanon.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported eight casualties, including a high-ranking leader of the Quds Force, two Iranian advisers, and five Revolutionary Guards members.
Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on Iranian-linked targets in Syria in the past few years, but very rarely acknowledges the strikes.
Melissa Enoch
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