An Israeli missile attack on the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday killed several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, including the head of the elite force's intelligence unit, reports said. This attack was followed several hours later by another attack on Hezbollah-related targets in Lebanon.
The Syrian army said the first attack completely destroyed a heavily guarded building in Damascus's Mazzeh district.
The Israeli Air Force fired the missile while flying over the occupied Golan Heights, the military said.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – Anti-Government War Monitoring Organization – They claim there are at least six people, Five people were killed in the airstrike, including five Iranians and one Syrian civilian.
According to the group, four people are missing under the rubble of the four-story building.
Three of the Iranians killed were commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Observatory.
A grocery store near the scene of the attack said it heard five explosions at around 10:15 a.m. local time and then saw the bodies of a man and a woman and three injured people being carried away.
“The store shook. I stayed inside for a few seconds and then came out and saw smoke coming from behind the mosque,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used for safety reasons. said.
Israel has not commented on the attack, although Iran has already claimed the right to retaliate. The Times of Israel reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kani said the Iranian government would respond “at the appropriate time and place.”
Mr. Qanani also denounced the attack as an “escalation of aggressive and provocative attacks” by Israel.
Hours after the Damascus explosion, an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese port city of Tire, killing two Hezbollah members.
Two people were also killed in the strike at a nearby orchard, the state news agency said.
Officials said one of the dead was local Hezbollah leader Ali Hudorji.
Israel, which is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and dealing with the threat of Iran-backed Hezbollah, is working towards securing an agreement with the terror group by the end of January, with the aim of avoiding drawing Lebanon into war. I'm here. A US official told The Washington Post..
Both attacks came amid heightened tensions over Israeli counterattacks in the Gaza Strip and escalating clashes in the region.
Nearly 25,000 Palestinians are believed to have been killed in the Gaza operation, according to health authorities linked to Hamas, and authorities do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Approximately 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes after months of efforts.
with post wire
