- There was no immediate word from Israel, which has stepped up attacks on Iran
- IRGC leader Mohammed Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack, sources said
Photos show the building in the Syrian capital razed to the ground as huge plumes of smoke rose from the site after the afternoon explosion and emergency workers rushed to the scene.
IRGC leader Mohammed Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack, security sources said. A war monitor reported that six people died in the building.
The official Syrian news agency SANA said that “the Israeli attack targeted the Iranian consulate building in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus.”
The state news agency said the building, an annex next to the embassy, suffered major destruction and that neighboring buildings in the more expensive part of the city were also damaged.
There was no immediate comment on today’s attack from Israel, which has stepped up attacks on Iran-linked militant groups as the war against Hamas in Gaza continues.
The site of the apparent rocket attack, causing damage to cars and buildings in the area
Iranian media also reported that the attacks in Damascus completely destroyed the annex
An Iranian flag hangs above the bombed building, which was razed during the attack
Smoke rises above buildings in Damascus after the strike
IRGC leader Mohammed Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack, security sources said
An Israeli military spokesman said: “We do not comment on foreign media reports.” The Syrian Foreign Ministry reportedly condemned the attack.
Syria’s Defense Ministry said Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus on Monday “destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside.”
“The Israeli enemy launched airstrikes from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The attack destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside. Efforts are underway to recover the bodies and rescue the injured from the rubble.”
Iranian media reported that the attacks in Damascus completely destroyed the annex but said the ambassador was unharmed.
“Hossein Akbari, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus, and his family were not injured in the Israeli attack,” Iran’s Nour news agency said.
The British-based group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said: “Israeli missiles… destroyed the building of an annex building of the Iranian embassy… in Damascus, killing six people.”
The official Syrian news agency SANA earlier reported that “our air defense systems confronted enemy targets near Damascus.”
The incident came days after the Observatory reported Israeli strikes that killed 53 people in Syria, including 38 soldiers and seven members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Photos show the building in the Syrian capital being razed to the ground as emergency services arrive on the scene
Smoke rises after what Iranian media said was an Israeli attack on a building near the Iranian embassy in Damascus
It was the Syrian army’s highest toll in Israeli attacks since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, the monitor said.
Since the attack by the Iranian-backed Palestinian faction Hamas on Israel on October 7, Israel has stepped up airstrikes in Syria against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), both of which support the government of President Bashar al-Assad .