Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: 12 members of the IRGC killed in Israeli attack

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that Israeli attacks on Syria on Monday have left 21 dead, including 12 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the group, six others were Syrian army soldiers. Rami Abdulrahman, the spokesperson for the group, confirmed to AFP the increase in the death toll. The Syrian Observatory also added that the attack caused damage to Iranian military warehouses and facilities as well as Iranian bases in Syria. The group had initially reported the number of victims as eleven on Monday but stated today that the death toll has risen due to the severity of injuries among the wounded. The Israeli army announced on January 21 that it had targeted the IRGC Quds Force in Syria. Israel also warned Syria to refrain from retaliatory actions against its territory or forces. Shortly before this statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "We have a consistent policy: to attack Iranian bases in Syria and strike anyone who tries to harm us," and this policy "will not change." Iranian officials have not yet reacted to the events and the Israeli army's statement. The recent Israeli attacks and the early morning statement came just days after Gadi Eisenkot, the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, stated that his country had attacked "thousands" of Iranian targets in Syria since 2017. The commander of the IRGC stated on January 15 in response to recent Israeli officials' remarks that "Iran will maintain what it has in Syria." Aziz Nasirzadeh, the commander of the Iranian Air Force, also stated on January 21 that "the youth of the Air Force are eagerly and wholeheartedly ready to fight the Zionist regime and eradicate them from the face of the earth." The IRGC has repeatedly inscribed the phrase "Israel must be erased from the pages of history" in Hebrew on its missiles. The leader and other officials in Tehran have also frequently spoken of the "eradication" of Israel, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasizing that the country "will not see the next 25 years." Sources: German and French news agencies and Radio Farda.