Syria: Iranian consulate in Damascus destroyed by suspected Israeli strike

DUBAI (Reuters) – The Iranian consulate in Damascus was destroyed on Monday in a strike attributed to Israel by Iranian and Syrian media, an apparent escalation of the Middle East conflict between Israel and Iran and its allies.

A senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in the attack, a Lebanese security source told Reuters. Iranian state television reported that several Iranian diplomats had been killed.

The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers were seen at the scene.

Reuters journalists at the scene in the Mezzeh district of the Syrian capital reported that smoke was billowing from the rubble of a building that was destroyed, with emergency vehicles parked outside.

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An Israeli army spokesperson said it would not comment on “information reported in foreign media.

The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported the deaths of five people in the attack, the Syrian news agency SANA reported deaths and injuries.

Syrian state television confirmed that the consulate building had been attacked. Earlier, Iranian media reported that the ambassador’s residence and the Iranian consulate were targeted, without giving further details.

Since the attack by Hamas, a group supported by Tehran, in Israel on October 7, the Jewish state has intensified its air attacks in Syria against the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two movements supported by Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

(Reuters; French version Zhifan Liu)