Iran Vows Revenge After Suspected Israeli Air Strike in Syria
Iran promises retaliation against Israel after an air strike destroyed a multi-story building complex killing five members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a number of local forces in Syria’s capital, Damascus, on the 20 January.
According to Syrian media (SANA), the strike was carried out by “the Israeli enemy” from the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and targeted a residential building in the Mezzeh neighbourhood of Damascus. It is reported that Syrian air defences managed to down “some of [the missiles]”, but the strike still injured and killed civilians.
Iran has condemned the attack and has blamed Israel, citing the illegality of the attacks under international law and has vowed revenge. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge, saying the attack “will not go unanswered by the Islamic Republic of Iran” in a statement condoling the “high-ranking martyrs”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani claims the violation of Syria’s sovereignty demonstrates Israel’s attempt to “spread instability and insecurity across the region”, and emphasises that Iran reserves the right to respond to Israel’s “organised terrorism” at the “appropriate time and place”.
According to Nour News, two people killed in the Damascus attack have been identified, one being the intelligence deputy of the IRGC expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, Brigadier General Sadegh Omidzadeh, and his deputy Hajj Gholam. However, later the Guard identified the five dead in a conflicting statement as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi.
Lebanese media reported a few hours later, a drone strike was carried out by the Israeli military on a car near the port city of Tyre in Lebanon, killing four people, including a local Hezbollah commander. Last month, a suspected Israeli strike in Syria, just outside Damascus, killed a senior IRGC commander.
The strikes have only intensified since Hamas’ October attacks on Israel, sparking the Israel-Gaza war. The Israeli military has not made a comment regarding the attack.