Israeli Attack on Iranian Consulate in Damascus; Diplomats and Three Senior IRGC Commanders Among the Dead

Some media outlets close to the Iranian government report that the "consular building and residence of the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran" in Damascus was targeted in an attack attributed to Israel on Monday, April 1, resulting in the deaths of "five to seven" individuals, including three commanders of the IRGC's Quds Force. The Islamic Republic's television also states that Iranian diplomats are among the casualties. It is reported that 12 others were injured. The East newspaper's account on the social media platform "X" (formerly Twitter) cited a Telegram channel close to the IRGC, stating that three IRGC commanders were killed in the attack on Monday. The report names them as Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahidi, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC (the Quds Force branch in Syria and Lebanon), Brigadier General Hossein Aminollah, Chief of Staff of the Quds Force of the IRGC, and Major General Haj Rahimi, "a close friend and deputy of Zahidi," who was also from the Quds Force branch in Syria and Lebanon. The IRGC's public relations confirmed the deaths of Mohammad Reza Zahidi and Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi along with "five of their companions." The IRGC identified these five individuals as "Hossein Amanollahi, Seyyed Mahdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sadaqat, Ali Agha Babaei, and Seyyed Ali Salehi Roozbehani." Images and videos released by Syrian state media and the Islamic Republic depict complete destruction of the building. Nournews, close to the Supreme National Security Council, reported that "the consular building and residence of the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Syria" was targeted in this attack, resulting in six deaths. News agencies, citing Lebanese security sources, reported that Mohammad Reza Zahidi, among the senior commanders of the IRGC, was killed in this attack. The Arabic-language television channel Al-Mayadeen, aligned with the Islamic Republic, confirmed the death of Mohammad Reza Zahidi in the airstrike attributed to Israel on the consulate and residence of the Iranian ambassador in Damascus. The Tasnim news agency also reported that Zahidi's deputy, "General Haj Rahimi," who previously served as the "coordinator of the Quds Force," was among the dead. According to this news agency, the casualties are "five to seven individuals, and 12 others" were injured. What do we know about Mohammad Reza Zahidi? According to Tasnim, affiliated with the IRGC, Mohammad Reza Zahidi was born on October 31, 1960, in Isfahan and was a mid-level commander of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War. He served as the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces from 2005 to 2008 and held the position of commander of the Tharallah Headquarters during 2005-2006. Tasnim states that from 2016 to 2019, he was the operations deputy of the IRGC and had been active in the Quds Force since 2008, serving as the commander of the IRGC in Syria and Lebanon. The identities of other casualties and possible injured individuals from this attack remain unknown. An Israeli army spokesperson, in response to a Reuters inquiry regarding this matter, stated: "We do not comment on reports in foreign media." Israel has rarely claimed responsibility for attacks carried out in Syria in recent years. Iranian Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, claimed that Israel attacked the Islamic Republic's consulate with F-35 fighter jets and six missiles. He added that he was in his office inside the embassy at the time of the attack. The Iranian ambassador acknowledged that several "military advisors" were killed in this attack attributed to Israel. In the Iranian government's terminology, commanders and members of the IRGC in Syria and other regional countries are referred to as "military advisors." Hossein Akbari stated that five to seven individuals were killed in this attack, and their names would be announced later. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Faisal Mikdad, the Syrian Foreign Minister, visited the Iranian embassy in Damascus and, in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, condemned the Israeli attack. The Syrian Foreign Minister also expressed condolences to Hossein Akbari, the Iranian ambassador in Syria. The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that this airstrike occurred around 5 PM local time from the Golan Heights against the Islamic Republic's consulate building in Damascus.