Israeli Warplanes Strike Iranian Embassy Building in Damascus, Killing Senior Commanders
In a deadly strike on Monday, Israeli warplanes targeted a building in Damascus that is part of the Iranian Embassy complex, resulting in the deaths of at least three senior commanders and four officers overseeing Iran’s covert operations in the Middle East. Iranian and Syrian officials confirmed the casualties, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the ongoing shadow war between Israel and Iran.
The strike in Damascus, the Syrian capital, comes amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly following Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, an Iranian-backed militia. While Israeli officials have acknowledged their involvement in the strike, they denied that the building had diplomatic status. However, the Syrian ambassador to Iran condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international conventions.
Footage circulating on social media showed the destroyed building next to the embassy, with photographs revealing the damage to the consular section. Iranian and Syrian news agencies broadcast images of the ruined building, burned cars, and debris on the ground. Among the casualties were General Mohamad Reza Zahedi, who oversaw Iran’s covert military operations in Syria and Lebanon, along with two other generals and four officers from the Quds Force.
The strike has drawn strong condemnation from Iran’s foreign minister, who described it as an attack on the consulate section of the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Damascus. Meanwhile, in Washington, officials expressed concerns that the strike could further escalate hostilities in the region. Following the attack, American troops in southern Syria reportedly intercepted a one-way attack drone, marking the first such incident in nearly two months.
The strike in Damascus comes as Israeli soldiers withdrew from Gaza’s largest hospital complex, Al-Shifa, leaving it heavily damaged after a two-week raid targeting Palestinian militants. The hospital director described the facility as a wasteland, with buildings destroyed and the main gate smashed. The Israeli military claimed to have killed about 200 Palestinian militants and arrested hundreds more during the raid.
The destruction at Al-Shifa has sparked outrage, with Hamas calling it a horrific crime and accusing Israel of perpetrating it with support from the U.S. administration. Israeli forces maintain that the hospital was used as a refuge for militants, while Hamas and the hospital director insist it was solely for civilians. The ongoing conflict in the region has led to further violence and destruction, with both sides vowing to continue their operations in the coming days.
