BTwo Iranian Revolutionary Guard generals were killed in an explosion in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Iranian state radio and television reported that Mohammad Reza Shahidi, a brigadier general in the external unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was killed. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed the death on Monday evening. Shahidi's deputy, Mohammad Hadi Haji, also died, as did five other members of the Revolutionary Guard. Shahidi was responsible for operations in Syria and Lebanon, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the building that was hit was the consular section of the embassy. The official news agency SANA reported that the building was leveled in the attack. “Everyone in the building was killed or injured” in the attack. The embassy building itself remained intact. Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari and his family were reportedly unharmed. It added that Syrian air defenses responded to the attack and shot down some missiles.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. Syrian and Iranian media reported an air strike launched by the Israeli army. In response to a question, the Israeli army said that it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
Source: Associated Press/Omar Sandaki
The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and blamed its arch-enemy Israel for the attack. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, according to a statement issued by the ministry, “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take countermeasures and will decide the nature of the response.” Experts have already expressed concern that some in Iran may view the attack as a declaration of war. Iranian Head of State Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi remained silent. Their reaction to the air strike is now awaited with both excitement and anxiety.
After the incident, Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations spoke of a „flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law and the basic principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular institutions.” The mission called on the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli „terrorist attack” in the strongest terms and to take all necessary measures to prevent further attacks. Among other things, Iran is calling for an emergency Security Council meeting on the incident.
The missiles flew 1,200 kilometers
At the end of December, Iranian General Sajad Rasi Mousavi, a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was killed in a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, in a suspected Israeli airstrike. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard responded in mid-January with large-scale missile attacks in response to targets in Syria and Iraq.
The missiles flew a distance of about 1,200 kilometers. This was also interpreted by observers as a clear signal to Israel. This distance will be the same distance that missiles need from the west of the country to reach Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
The Islamist Hamas movement, which is at war with the state after its October 7 terrorist attack in Israel, described the alleged Israeli air strike in Damascus as a “Zionist terrorist attack” and expressed its “unconditional solidarity with Iran and Syria in their brutal confrontation.” Nazi aggression.”
After the Damascus explosion: Iranian demonstrators in Tehran burn flags
Source: German News Agency/Wahid Salmi
Hamas called on the UN Security Council to „take effective action against the occupation and its criminal leaders to stop its aggression against the Gaza Strip and the region, which adds fuel to the fire and undermines international stability and security.” From the group on Tuesday night.
In the Iranian capital, Tehran, eyewitnesses reported that hundreds of government supporters gathered in the city center late Monday evening to participate in spontaneous protests. The crowd demanded revenge for the killing of the generals. They chanted, among other things, „Death to Israel” and „Death to America.”
The Israeli Air Force frequently bombs targets in neighboring Syria in an attempt to prevent Iran and allied militias such as Lebanon's Hezbollah from expanding its military influence in the country. Attacks have increased since the war on Gaza began about six months ago. Iranian military personnel are officially active in Syria only in an advisory capacity. But Tehran is considered the most important ally of the Syrian government, alongside Russia. There has been a civil war in the country since 2011.
The Revolutionary Guard is Iran's elite armed forces and is considered much more powerful than the regular army. The unit was established after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and aims to prevent a coup and protect the state's ideology. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also operates abroad with the so-called Quds Brigades. Israel is considered the arch enemy of the Iranian government.
In southeastern Syria, pro-Iranian militias from Iraq attempted to attack US forces with a drone late Monday, according to activists. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that US forces shot down the drone. Initially, no group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Al-Tanf military base used by US forces near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
It is not yet clear whether there was damage or injuries. The US Army did not initially comment on the incident.
