IRIA News

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.

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.

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.”

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.

Iranian generals killed in Israeli airstrikes

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’s elite Revolutionary Guards force, and a senior commander of the Iranian military Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

The death of Zahedi, who previously held the position of commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ground forces and the country’s 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.

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.

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 “military building of Quds forces”, a unit of the IRGC responsible for foreign operations.

“According to our intelligence, this is no consulate and this is no embassy,” Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told media. “I 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.”

Iran’s reaction and fears of escalation

Iran’s Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, who remained unharmed in the attack, emphasized that Tehran’s reaction would be “decisive”. Hossein Akbari said in a statement, “This 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.”

Iran’s 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.

In a statement, Iran’s 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.

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.”

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.”

In Tehran, demonstrators mobilized to express condemnation towards Israel for the assault.

World reaction

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who visited the site of the attack alongside Syria’s 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.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, echoed the condemnation. A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said “We strongly condemn this unacceptable attack against the Iranian consular mission in Syria.”

Lebanon’s 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.

Several Muslim countries including Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the attack.

In the United States, meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington remained “concerned about anything that would be escalatory or cause an increase in conflict in the region”.