Israeli Strikes In Damascus Kill 8 In Iranian Embassy Annex, Tehran Calls For International Response

Israeli strikes hit an Iranian embassy annex building in Syria’s capital on Monday, local media said, as a war monitor reported eight people were killed in the building, including a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The Israeli attack targeted the Iranian consulate building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA. The bombing site was confirmed by news agencies as the building next to the embassy, an annex, had been levelled, in an upscale neighbourhood of the capital. The news of Iranian Commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi’s death was reported by news agency Reuters.

Iranian media also reported that the strikes in Damascus completely destroyed the annex building and that the ambassador was unharmed. “Hossein Akbari, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus, and his family were not harmed in the Israeli attack,” Iran’s Nour news agency said.

UK-based group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli missiles… destroyed the building of an annex to the Iranian embassy… in Damascus, killing six people”. Syria’s official SANA news agency earlier reported that “our air defence systems confronted enemy targets in the vicinity of Damascus”.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has stepped up strikes on Iran-linked militant groups amid its Gaza war raging against Hamas since October 7. 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.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday called for the international community to act after the Israeli attack on their consulate in Damascus.

In a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad, Amir-Abdollahian said, “blamed the consequences of this action on the Zionist regime and stressed the need for a serious response by the international community to such criminal actions”, a statement by Iran’s foreign ministry stated.

(With agency inputs)