Israel Blows Up The Iranian Consulate Building In Damascus

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Monday that seven of its members, including two senior officers, were killed in the Israeli strike that targeted the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Damascus. The Revolutionary Guard issued a statement strongly condemning the attack, confirming that among the dead were Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. Earlier, Iranian state television announced on Monday that several Iranian diplomats were killed in an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Against this backdrop, the Iranian ambassador to Syria announced that his country would “respond decisively” to the Israeli bombing of its consulate in Damascus on Monday. The ambassador told reporters, “This action will lead to a decisive response on our part.”

Iranian media reported that the bombing led, in particular, to the killing of a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guards. Iranian official media quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart on Monday that Tehran holds Israel responsible for the consequences of the attack on its consulate in Damascus. Amir Abdullahian added that the attack on the consulate building constitutes a “violation of all international conventions.”

This comes after an Israeli strike on Monday targeted a building attached to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, according to what was reported by a local media outlet, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicated that eight people were killed in this strike. The official Syrian news agency, SANA, reported that “the Israeli aggression targeted a building in the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus,” noting that “our air defense means confronted hostile targets in the vicinity of Damascus.”

For its part, the Syrian Observatory indicated that eight people were killed in the strike, after it reported in a previous toll that six people were killed. The Observatory said, “Israeli missiles destroyed (…) a building attached to the Iranian embassy on the Mezzeh Highway in the capital, Damascus.” In Tehran, an Iranian official media outlet confirmed the Israeli strike that led to the destruction of a building attached to the Iranian embassy in Syria. The Iranian Nour News Agency said, “Hossein Akbari, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus, and his family were not injured in the Israeli attack.”

An French news agency correspondent at the scene confirmed that the strike resulted in the complete destruction of the building attached to the embassy. Pictures showed the building completely destroyed. Not far away, dozens of people gathered in front of the site of the attack, and an ambulance was noticed at the scene.

The Syrian Foreign Minister condemned the Israeli strikes that targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus on Monday, stressing that relations between his country and Iran “will not be affected.”

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said from the Iranian embassy in Damascus: “We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack that targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus and led to the martyrdom of a number of innocent people.”

He added: “Israel will not be able to influence the relations between Iran and Syria.”

For his part, Iranian Ambassador to Damascus, Hussein Akbari, said: “The Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate reflects the reality of the Zionist entity, which does not recognize any international laws and does everything inhumane to achieve what it wants,” stressing that “Tehran’s response to targeting the consulate will be harsh.” .