{"id":22038,"date":"2024-04-03T03:47:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T00:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=22038"},"modified":"2024-04-09T02:41:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T23:41:19","slug":"israel-strikes-iranian-consulate-in-syria-killing-top-generals-iran-vows-revenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/israel-strikes-iranian-consulate-in-syria-killing-top-generals-iran-vows-revenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel strikes Iranian consulate in Syria, killing top generals; Iran vows revenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Iran has vowed to retaliate after accusing Israel of conducting missile strikes on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024. The attack marks a deadly escalation of regional tensions amidst the conflict in Gaza, heightening concerns of a broader Middle Eastern conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Syrian news outlets, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian consulate building in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus. The reports said that the building next to the main embassy building was leveled after the attack in the upscale neighborhood of Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Ministry of Syria reported that its air defenses managed to intercept some of the missiles launched by Israel, but others successfully penetrated their defense. As a result, “the entire building was destroyed, resulting in casualties among those present.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos from the scene showed piles of rubble and twisted steel with an Iranian flag still hanging from a pole nearby. Efforts immediately went underway to retrieve the bodies and assist the injured trapped under the rubble, although the ministry did not provide specifics regarding the number of casualties or the identities of those affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Iranian generals killed in Israeli airstrikes <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some sources reported that the airstrike resulted in the deaths of at least seven Iranian officials, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a prominent commander within Iran\u2019s elite Revolutionary Guards force, and a senior commander of the Iranian military Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The death of Zahedi, who previously held the position of commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ground forces and the country\u2019s air force, as well as deputy commander of its operations, represents the assassination of the most significant Iranian figure since the killing of IRGC General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Iranian<\/a>
Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi (C), the commander of Syria’s Operations of the IRGC Quds Force killed in an Israeli attack. (Image Credit: IranWire\/via Twitter)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Iran and Syria have alleged Israel for orchestrating the attack. Tehran has issued a cautionary note of a “serious response.” At the same time, the influential Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has declared that the strike will be met with “punishment and revenge.” Additionally, Iran has stated its intention to hold the United States “accountable” for its support of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel had not given an immediate comment or took responsibility for the attack. However, Israeli military officials told news reporters that Israel believes the target struck was a \u201cmilitary building of Quds forces\u201d, a unit of the IRGC responsible for foreign operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccording to our intelligence, this is no consulate and this is no embassy,\u201d Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told media. \u201cI repeat, this is no consulate and this is no embassy. This is a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Iran\u2019s reaction and fears of escalation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, who remained unharmed in the attack, emphasized that Tehran’s reaction would be \u201cdecisive\u201d. Hossein Akbari said in a statement, \u201cThis is perhaps the first time that the Zionist regime allows itself to attack an official building of the Islamic Republic of Iran embassy, which had the flag of the Islamic Republic raised on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian also denounced the attack on the Iranian consulate as “a breach of all international obligations and conventions,” attributing blame to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Israeli<\/a>
Emergency services work at the consulate building after Israeli missile attack in Syria. (Image Credit: Omar Sanadiki\/AP)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In a statement, Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani asserted that Iran “maintains the right to retaliate” and would determine the response’s nature and the aggressor’s punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran’s representatives at the United Nations also protested the attack. They asserted that the airstrike constituted a “blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the fundamental principle of the sanctity of diplomatic and consular premises.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labeling the strike as “a considerable threat to regional peace and security,” the Iranian mission called upon the UN Security Council to denounce the attack and stated that Tehran retained the right “to take resolute action.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Tehran, demonstrators mobilized to express condemnation towards Israel for the assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


World reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who visited the site of the attack alongside Syria\u2019s interior minister, strongly denounced what he described as a “heinous terrorist attack” targeting the Iranian consulate building. Syrian officials reported that some innocent civilians had also been killed in the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, echoed the condemnation. A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said \u201cWe strongly condemn this unacceptable attack against the Iranian consular mission in Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lebanon\u2019s Iran-backed Hezbollah group cautioned that Israel would face consequences for the attack. Hezbollah has been engaging in frequent cross-border exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas since the Gaza conflict began in October.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Israeli<\/a>
An Israeli F-35I jet takes off from Uvda airbase during the Blue Flag Israeli Air Force exercise. (Image Credit: IAF)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Several Muslim countries including Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington remained \u201cconcerned about anything that would be escalatory or cause an increase in conflict in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran has vowed to retaliate after accusing Israel of conducting missile strikes on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024. The attack marks a deadly escalation of regional tensions amidst the conflict in Gaza, heightening concerns of a broader Middle Eastern conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,1],"tags":[218,75,6,30,26,356,5,113,13,128],"class_list":["post-22038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","category-news","tag-army","tag-conflict","tag-defense","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-middle-east","tag-military","tag-security","tag-syria","tag-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Israel-missile-attack-in-Syria-on-Iranian-consulate.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-5Js","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22038"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22163,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22038\/revisions\/22163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}