The Security Council to Hold a Meeting at Russia's Request; The Islamic Republic Says It Has Made 'Necessary Decisions' to Respond to the Attack

Official news agencies in Iran reported early Tuesday morning (Iran time) that a meeting was held at 21:00 the previous night, citing the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic, and announced that 'necessary decisions' had been made to respond to the attack on the Iranian government building in Damascus the previous day. Concurrently, it was reported that the Russian permanent mission to the United Nations had registered a request for a Security Council meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 3. The airstrike attributed to Israel on the headquarters of the Quds Force commanders in the consulate building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus resulted in the deaths of at least seven of these commanders, once again bringing the words 'revenge' and 'harsh punishment' back into the language and writings of officials and supporters of the Islamic Republic. In recent hours, coordinated gatherings have taken place in various cities across Iran, where supporters of the Islamic Republic condemned the attack and called for a response. In this context, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, used the phrase 'harsh punishment' and stated: 'The ignorant leaders of Israel and their supporters should know that these vile movements will have no effect on the will of freedom-seeking and rights-demanding resistance fighters, and their aggressive and barbaric actions will face harsh punishment.' Jalal Rashidi Koohi, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also reacted to the attack on the Islamic Republic's consulate building in Damascus, tweeting the necessity of taking 'revenge' and suggested targeting 'one of the Zionist diplomatic centers in one of the regional countries, preferably Azerbaijan.' The head of the National Security Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also related the deadly Israeli attacks in Damascus on Tuesday to recent meetings of Ismail Haniyeh and Ziad al-Nakhala in Tehran, stating: 'During the recent visit of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders to Tehran, very good decisions were made, which I believe Israel acted out of anger over the decisions made in Tehran.' Additionally, the management center of the country's seminaries issued a statement condemning the Israeli attack on the 'Islamic Republic's consulate in Damascus' and announced that 'seminarians, scholars, and professors' are ready for any 'sacrifice in the fight against Israel.' The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also quoted Hezbollah Lebanon stating: 'Undoubtedly, this crime will not remain unpunished and without revenge from the enemy.' In its first action, the Islamic Republic described the Israeli attack as a 'criminal act' through its deputy representative at the United Nations, stating that the UN Security Council must urgently address the 'blatant violation of international norms and principles by Israel.' Following this, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic announced that in response to the Israeli attack on the location of the IRGC commanders near the Iranian embassy in Damascus, a 'diplomatic official' from Switzerland was summoned at midnight to convey an important message to the United States. In response to this attack, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were among the countries that condemned the deadly Israeli attack on the headquarters of the Quds Force near the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The previous day, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, stated that President Joe Biden is aware of reports regarding the Israeli airstrike on the Islamic Republic's consulate in Damascus and that 'the team is reviewing (the reports).' Mohammad Reza Zahidi, a senior commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (the Quds Force branch in Syria and Lebanon), Hossein Aminollah, the Chief of Staff of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, 'a close friend and deputy of Zahidi,' were among the most important forces confirmed to have been killed in the April 2 Israeli attacks in Damascus. In the early hours following this attack, Hossein Akbari, the Iranian ambassador to Syria, acknowledged that several 'military advisors' were killed in this attack attributed to Israel. In the government literature of the Islamic Republic, commanders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria and other regional countries are referred to as 'military advisors.' The public relations department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also confirmed the deaths of Mohammad Reza Zahidi and Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi and 'five of their companions' in a statement released yesterday. The IRGC identified these five individuals as 'Hossein Amanollahi, Seyed Mehdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sadaqat, Ali Aqa Babaei, and Seyed Ali Salehi Roozbehani.' The Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus; the IRGC has not responded, and the United States has remained silent for now. Babak Taghvaei: IRGC forces used diplomatic building cover for their military meetings. Alireza Noorizadeh: The casualties on Tuesday in Syria were shadows of the Quds Force commander. Experts say the Israeli attack on the building belonging to the Islamic Republic in Damascus changes the rules of engagement. Confirmation of the deaths of IRGC commanders in attacks attributed to Israel in Damascus; the response of the Islamic Republic. The return of the words 'revenge' and 'harsh punishment' to the rhetoric of Islamic Republic officials following the deaths of commanders in Syria.