Suspected Israeli Air Strike Kills Four IRGC Officers In Syria

People inspect the damage at the site of a suspected Israeli strike in Damascus, Syria January 20, 2024.
People inspect the damage at the site of a suspected Israeli strike in Damascus, Syria January 20, 2024.

An airstrike targeted a residential building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, reportedly killing several Iranian IRGC officers, amid high regional tensions.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported, "An attack targeted a residential building in the Mazzeh neighborhood in Damascus, resulting from an Israeli aggression."

Early reports indicates that four officers of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in the airstrike, including head of the Quds force intelligence unit and his deputy, according to Reuters citing regional sources. The source mentioned that the bombed building, utilized by "Iranian advisers," was completely leveled.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news website reported that two senior Iranian military advisers were killed. Later, Iranian state media shared photos of Hojjatollah Omidvar or Hajj Sadegh, the senior Quds Force general, and apparently a senior intelligence officer, who was killed the an airstrike.

Senior IRGC General killed in a suspected Israeli air strike in Damascus.
Senior IRGC General killed in a suspected Israeli air strike in Damascus.

According to the Hezbollah-affiliated news channel Al-Mayadeen, a residential building in the Al-Mazzeh neighborhood collapsed, with other Arab media reports indicating four deaths. While Arab media mainly showed images of a large column of smoke rising from the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported smoke billowing from several sites.

The Syrian radio station Sham FM reported explosions in various areas, noting that the source of the incidents was not yet clear.

Recent similar attacks have predominantly targeted weapons depots linked to the Iranian military network in Syria and arms shipments intended for Iran-backed forces, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has explicitly declared its commitment to preventing further consolidation of Iranian forces in Syria.

On December 25, a suspected Israeli airstrike targeted and killed the top Iranian IRGC general, Razi Mousavi, at his residence near Damascus. Iran fired missiles at a residential building in northern Iraq earlier this week, claiming to have targeted a Mossad center.