In Response to the Killing of a Quds Force Member in an Attack Attributed to Israel in Aleppo; IRGC Commander Promises 'Response'

Following the killing of a member of the Quds Force in an attack on Sunday night in Aleppo, Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a statement promising a 'response' to this attack. Iranian state media previously reported that Saeed Abiyar, a member of the Quds Force of the IRGC, was killed on Sunday night in Aleppo, Syria. The 'Daneshjoo' news agency confirmed the killing of this 'military advisor of the IRGC' in an attack by 'Israeli fighter jets.' In the official language of the Islamic Republic, the term 'military advisor' refers to members of the Quds Force who operate militarily outside of Iran, including in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Over the years, Israel has repeatedly targeted the positions of the Quds Force and the proxy groups of the Islamic Republic in Syria but has rarely commented on these attacks. Following the terrorist attack on October 7, Israeli attacks against the positions of the Islamic Republic and its affiliated groups in the region have intensified. In one of the deadliest of these attacks, on April 2 of this year, the Islamic Republic's consulate in Damascus was targeted, resulting in the deaths of several senior IRGC members, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, Hossein Aminollah, the Chief of Staff of the Quds Force, and Haj Rahimi, 'Zahedi's deputy.' In an unprecedented move on Saturday, April 14, in response to this deadly attack, the Islamic Republic launched over 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones toward Israel, most of which were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace by a coalition consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, and Israel. A member of the Quds Force was killed in an attack attributed to Israel in Aleppo. The U.S. stated that the Islamic Republic's proxies are still planning attacks against American forces. There has been a reduction in the military presence of the Islamic Republic in Syria following the attacks attributed to Israel. The President of the European Commission stated that the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel is a sign of a new alliance among authoritarian regimes. Global condemnation of the attack on Israel has led to an increasing number of countries summoning Iranian ambassadors. The Islamic Republic's retaliatory attack has prompted regional media to report the commencement of operations to intercept Iranian drones.