Military adviser killed in Syria
Iran vows retaliation against Israel for deadly attack
December 25, 2023, 8:37 p.m
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Iran is a close ally of Hamas, which has been fighting Israel massively since its attack at the beginning of October. But Iran also works intensively with Syria, which is central to the “axis of resistance” against Israel. The death of a high-ranking general creates additional tension.
A high-ranking general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria, according to Tehran. General Rasi Mousavi was killed in an attack in a southern suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, the Iranian state news agency Irna reported. “The Zionist regime (Israel) will definitely pay for the martyrdom of our long-time military advisor,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a press statement. The Israeli military said it does not comment on foreign media reports. In general, the country hardly comments on individual attacks in Syria.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also said Israel would “certainly pay for this crime.” In Syria, Mousavi was one of the “most experienced advisors” to the Al-Kuds Brigades, the branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responsible for foreign operations, Irna also reported. According to the information, he was a companion of General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US attack in Iraq in 2020. January 3 marks the fourth anniversary of the death of the Quds Force commander.
Iran is also a close ally of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 triggered the Gaza war. Since the start of the war against Hamas, Israel has intensified air strikes in Syria.
Israel regularly attacks targets in Syria to prevent Iran from expanding its military influence there with the help of militias. Iran, along with Russia, is the most important ally of the Syrian government under ruler Bashar al-Assad. For Tehran, Syria is part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” in the fight against Israel, alongside the Shiite organization Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, Tehran always maintains that the Revolutionary Guard personnel in Syria only work as military advisors and are not directly involved in the civil war there.