Israel 'kills Iran Revolutionary Guard leader' in fiery airstrike (2024)

Mohammad Reza Zahedi was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria. (Image: Fars Media Corporation)

Israel has targeted a top Iranian official near Tehran's embassy in Damascus, Syria, according to Tehran.

The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was confirmed killed in the strike, alongside several other Iranian diplomats visiting the Syrian capital.

The IRGC-managed Fars News agency announced the commander's death on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Sardar Mohammadreza Zahedi, one of the commanders of the resistance front, was martyred in the attack of Zionist regime fighters on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus this evening," said the agency.

Reza Zahedi was a senior military officer and the former head of Teheran's air and ground forces.

In recent years, he came to be considered one of the top commanders of the Quds Force specialising in military intelligence operations.

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Pictures on social media appeared to show debris and flames following the explosion that rocked the area outside of the embassy. Images show a plume of billowing grey smoke emanating from the Mezzeh district of Damascus.

The Syrian Ministry of Defence responded with a statement.

"This evening, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus," it said.

"Our air defences responded to the missiles and shot down some of them. The aggression led to the destruction of the entire building and the martyrdom and injury of everyone inside.

"Work is underway to recover the bodies of the martyrs, treat the wounded and remove debris."

The strike is believed to have happened during a meeting between the IRGC top commander and senior regional officials.

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The Syrian Defence Ministry accused Israel of conducting the deadly strike on the Iranian consulate (Image: X/@mrbarnicoat)

The strike caused the consulate building to collapse (Image: Getty)

Regional reports claim six people were killed in the attack on Monday afternoon.

An Israeli spokesman refused to comment on the claims, saying: "We do not comment on reports in the foreign media."

Syrian state television confirmed an Iranian consulate building had been struck, while Tehran's student news agency claimed the targets of the strike were the consulate and the ambassador's residence.

Benjamin Netanyahu's forces have repeatedly struck foreign targets abroad since the start of the war with Hamas last October.

Israel has ramped up operations against Hamas allies such as Hezbollah in both Lebanon and Syria.

Last Friday, Israel faced accusations of another airstrike in north-west Syria which resulted in the death of at least 42 people.

The Syrian Defence Ministry claimed Israeli planes struck multiple sites around Aleppo, with one UK-based monitoring group reporting several Hezbollah militants and Syrian soldiers had died after a Hezbollah weapon store had been hit.

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