Top Iranian general killed in Israeli airstrike on Iranian embassy – report

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

At least eight senior Iranian officials were killed in an explosion targeting Iran’s embassy to Syria Monday afternoon, according to Arabic media outlet reports.

According to the Saudi-based Al-Arabiya news outlet, Israeli aircraft carried out an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, in an apparent targeted killing of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members.

Among the dead, according to the report, is General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, which coordinates operations with Iran’s proxies abroad, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, and various militias in Iraq and Syria.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that a building owned by the Iranian mission to Syria had been hit in the airstrike Monday, adding that eight people were killed.

The fatalities include” a high-ranking leader” – likely referring to Zahedi – two Iranian advisors, and five other members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“Israel carried out an attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus and assassinated 8 high-ranking Iranian leaders,” the Observatory tweeted.

Syrian air defense systems were activated during the attack, with explosions reported in the Al-Mazzah area of Damascus.

Journalist Ali Hashem noted that the building struck in the airstrike is located between the main Iranian embassy building and the Canadian embassy, suggesting only a high-value target would lead to a strike so close to a Western diplomatic facility.

There have been no reports thus far of casualties among the Canadian mission to Damascus.

According to a report by Reuters, the building targeted in the strike was the Iranian consulate and the ambassador’s residence.

Syria’s state media outlet, SANA, confirmed that there were casualties in Monday’s strike, but did not provide details.

The Iranian outlet Tasnim initially reported five deaths in the airstrike.

An Israeli army spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the IDF’s involvement in the attack.