Five senior members of Iran’s security forces were killed in a suspected airstrike on Syria’s capital.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard condemned Israel for the attack, which it said killed its military advisers as well as several Syrian personnel.
Israel has not responded. For years, it has conducted strikes against Iranian-linked sites in Syria.
Such attacks have increased since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, when Hamas launched attacks on Israel.
Iran’s foreign ministry described the attacks as a “aggressive and provocative” conduct by Israel, urging international parties to condemn them.
Senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Officials Killed In Syria Strike Blamed On Israel
Senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a powerful military, political, and economic force, have been active in Syria since the civil conflict began in 2011, assisting President Bashar al-Assad’s administration in combating massive uprising against his authority.
Saturday’s strike occurred in the Mazzeh neighbourhood, southwest Damascus, home to a military airfield, the UN headquarters in Damascus, embassies and restaurants.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that the assaults killed the IRGC’s Syria intelligence commander and deputy, as well as other Guard officers.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based campaign group, reported that 10 persons were killed in the strikes, including Revolutionary Guard leaders.
According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, a military source stated that while some of the missiles were intercepted, the attacks, which targeted a residential structure, killed and injured some civilians. Buildings were also destroyed, the report stated.
Senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Officials Killed In Syria Strike Blamed On Israel
According to AFP, a resident reported seeing “explosions” in the western Mazzeh neighbourhood and “a large cloud of smoke”.
“The sound was similar to a missile explosion, and minutes later I heard the sound of ambulances,” he said.
The BBC has not confirmed the videos showing a big cloud of smoke and wrecked buildings.
A senior IRGC commander was killed last month in what appears to be an Israeli air attack near Damascus.
The Middle East has been on high alert since October 7, when Hamas launched an offensive on southern Israel, killing around 1,300 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 prisoners back to Gaza. More than 132 captives are said to be still detained on the area.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 24,900 people have died in Gaza since Israel’s military operation began. Israel claims its land and air operations in Gaza are focused at defeating Hamas.
The conflict has generated fears of a bigger war spreading throughout the region, particularly between bitter enemies Israel and Iran, and comes amid a succession of overlapping crises.
Iran supports the Palestinian organization Hamas, which Israel is targeting. It has been carrying out targeted operations over the border in Syria for some years now, attacking weapons supplies bound for its Iran-backed opponent, Hezbollah, or assassinating key players in that supply chain. It is also exchanging fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Officials Killed In Syria Strike Blamed On Israel
Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria are also threatening US soldiers in the region, while the US and UK have targeted the
Houthis, another Iran-backed group in Yemen, for assaulting ships in the Red Sea.
This week, Iran and Pakistan exchanged attacks, heightening fears of a larger clash.
On Tuesday, Iran admitted to carrying out a missile and drone assault in south-western Pakistan, killing two children, claiming it was targeting an “Iranian terrorist group” in Pakistan.
Days later, Islamabad retaliated, firing strikes it claimed were targeting “terrorist hideouts” in south-east Iran, killing nine individuals.
Despite both sides’ claims that they were targeting extremist bases in each other’s countries, Iran and Pakistan removed their ambassadors from their respective capitals.
However, after consultations, diplomatic relations were restored.
Iran has bombarded targets in Pakistan, Syria, and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Turkey has also bombed Kurdistan, while Jordan has attacked drug smugglers across its border with Syria.
The US is still targeting ISIS in Syria while defending itself against drone strikes by Iran’s proxies in that country and Iraq.
There is no unifying policy underlying these attacks, other than the tired pretence of “acting in national self-defense.”
SOURCE – (BBC)
