TEHRAN: In a tragic event on Saturday, Damascus, the capital of Syria, was the target of an Israeli airstrike, resulting in casualties, including five Iranian military advisors. The attack, reportedly carried out by fighter jets associated with the Zionist regime, has escalated tensions in the region.
The Public Relations Office of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed the airstrike and provided details about its aftermath.
According to the statement, “several Syrian forces and four Iranian military advisors” lost their lives in the attack. The individuals who tragically perished were identified as Hojatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi, and Mohammad-Amin Samadi. Tehran Times reported this development on Sunday.
Iran is anticipated to retaliate for the attack. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf strongly condemned the incident, stating, “A strong and appropriate response from Iran awaits the Zionists.”
The IRGC denounced the actions of the Zionist regime, describing it as a “sinister and criminal invasion” of Syria’s capital, marking a renewed escalation in the longstanding tensions in the region.
Earlier reports from local Syrian sources indicated an explosion in western Damascus, supported by images illustrating the aftermath. Syrian state media, SANA, verified the explosion, suggesting it resulted from precision-guided Israeli missiles targeting a multi-story building in the western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh.
According to media reports, security officials cordoned off with ambulances, firefighters, and Syrian Arab Red Crescent rescue teams present. At least one person was taken to the hospital. The Mazzeh area, where the attack occurred, also hosts the United Nations headquarters, embassies, and restaurants.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least five people were killed in the missile attack.
Israel’s intensified airstrikes in the region have been notable, with the recent incident following the war in the occupied territories of Palestine that began on October 7. Israel waged war on the besieged Gaza Strip in response to a surprise operation by Hamas, aiming to retaliate for decades of occupation and continued crimes of the Zionist regime against Palestinians.
On December 25, an Israeli airstrike in Damascus claimed the life of Iranian General Seyyed Razi Mousavi, a veteran of the IRGC in Syria. Iran responded strongly by striking an Israeli spy headquarters in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Tuesday, eliminating at least three high-ranking Mossad agents.
The international community closely monitors the situation as Israel continues to act recklessly in the region, claiming more lives and expanding the conflict’s scope. As details emerge, questions about the motivation behind the attack, its intended targets, and the broader implications for regional stability remain unanswered. Despite these brutal killings by the Zionists, there is uncertainty about what Israel aimed to achieve with another act of such an inhumane nature, as it has so far had no impact on Iran’s progress across various domains.
