By Moussa Al Wazir | Staff Writer
With 6 missiles launched by F-35 fighter jets, on April 1, Israel launched a strike that was almost the strongest in months against the Iranian forces, targeting the Iranian consulate building in the Mezzeh neighborhood in the Syrian Capital of Damascus, which led to the killing of Brigadier General Muhammad Reza Zahedi, one of the commanders of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guard, and his deputy, along with 10 Other elements. Zahedi was the highest-ranking Iranian military commander to be killed since Major General Qassem Soleimani died in a US drone strike in 2020.
The picture above shows Zahedi with a group of the most important figures in Iran’s politics and the Army. ّFrom right, Imad Mughniyeh and Mohammad Reza Zahedi, with Hassan Nasrallah and Qassem Soleimani and other senior IRGC and Hezbollah officials in this undated image from Al Jazeera Archives
In response to the attack, Iran has vowed to retaliate where the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would be punished for the attack, while President Ebrahim Raisi said it will “not go unanswered,” state. Additionally, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the strike was a “flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises”. Locally in Iran, Protesters took to the streets of Tehran to condemn Israel over the attack.
Israel, on the other hand, refused to hold accountability for the attack as an Israeli military spokesperson told journalists: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media”
The Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate has sparked International worries and fear of a regional war, where many countries such as Russia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have condemned the attack. From their side, The European Union called for “restraint” after the attack. “In this very tense regional situation, it is very important to exercise restraint because further escalation in the region is in no one’s interest,” said Peter Stano, spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
According to Reuters, Washington told Tehran it “had no involvement” or advanced knowledge of the Israeli strike. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike and called on “all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation … that could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region”, his spokesperson said.
The US administration has also stipulated that Iran’s response will be imminent, as it is just a matter of when, not if.
Sources:
https://www.alarabiya.net/iran/2024/04/03/قصف-القنصلية-الايرانية-هل-يخرج-الحرس-الثوري-من-سوريا