Israel missile attack targets Iranian consulate in Damascus

Syria's official news agency, SANA, said the strikes were carried out by “the Israeli enemy” and targeted the Consular Section of the Iranian Embassy in the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus on Monday afternoon.

“At approximately 00:17 p.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus,” SANA said, citing a military source as saying.

“Our air defense media responded to the aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them. The aggression led to the destruction of the entire building and the martyrdom and injury of everyone inside, and work is underway to recover the bodies.”

The news agency also reported that the Israeli aggression also caused major destruction to "neighboring buildings."

Iran's Ambassador to Damascus Hossein Akbari confirmed the reports of the Israeli attack and said the regime had targeted the consular building with six missiles.

Akbari said five to seven people were martyred in the Israeli aggression, including several Iranian advisers who were in the building. Two police officers were also among those killed in the attack.

“We will give a decisive response to this action,” he said. “This regime has no respect for international laws,” the ambassador added. “We will support the resistant nation [of Palestine] and have no fear of the criminality of this regime.”

A commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, were killed in the Israeli attack.

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has visited Iran's Embassy following the missile attack.

Condemning the Israeli aggression, Mekdad said, “The Israeli occupation entity will not be able to influence the relations between Iran and Syria.”