Iranian officials and state-affiliated media have reported that a top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, was killed in an airstrike on the country’s consulate building in Damascus, Syria. The incident, which occurred on Monday, has been attributed to Israel by Iranian sources.
The attack, allegedly carried out by Israeli F-35 warplanes, targeted the building with six missiles, resulting in the death of Zahedi and several others. Iranian ambassador Hossein Akbari, who was present at the embassy during the attack, confirmed the casualties and the destruction caused by the airstrike.
Syrian state media also confirmed the incident, describing it as an “Israeli act of aggression” that caused significant damage to the building in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus.
While the Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the foreign reports, both Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers condemned the attack, labeling it as a violation of international obligations and diplomatic conventions. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called for a serious response from the international community, while Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad criticized the attack as a breach of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Zahedi, the deceased commander, had held prominent positions within the IRGC, serving as the commander of the ground forces, the air force, and as the deputy commander of the IRGC’s operations.
Footage of the aftermath of the airstrike, released by Iranian state media, showed the extent of the damage to the consulate building and the chaos caused by the attack.
