An Israeli strike targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Syria spy chief in Damascus has resulted in the death of 12 individuals, according to an updated toll from a war monitor on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revised its initial report, stating that the casualties included five Iranians, including three IRGC leaders, four Syrians collaborating with the Iranians, two Lebanese individuals, and one Iraqi national.
The strike, blamed on Israel, was confirmed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which acknowledged the loss of five members. The targeted building in the high-security Mazzeh area, known for housing IRGC leaders and pro-Iran Palestinian factions, belonged to the IRGC, as per the monitor.
The Mazzeh area also hosts a United Nations headquarters, embassies, and restaurants. This incident marks the second high-profile targeted assassination in Syria within a month. In December, another airstrike, also attributed to Israel, killed a senior Iranian general, Razi Moussavi. The Quds Force commander’s death marked the highest-ranking IRGC official to be killed outside Iran since the 2020 US drone strike that targeted Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
Throughout the Syrian civil war, which has spanned over a decade, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Syrian army positions. The frequency of such attacks has increased since the commencement of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7. Israel consistently emphasizes its stance of preventing Iran, a supporter of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, from expanding its presence in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, ongoing since 2011, has resulted in a devastating toll with over half a million lives lost and several million people displaced.