An Israeli missile strike in Damascus on Saturday resulted in the death of four members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including the head of the force’s information unit, according to a security source in the pro-Syria alliance. The Revolutionary Guards in Tehran named four military advisers killed in the strike but did not disclose their rank, promising further details later. Iranian state television identified the targeted building as the residence of Iranian advisers in the Syrian capital.
Israel, known for its ongoing bombing campaign against Iran’s military and security presence in Syria, has not provided immediate comments on the incident. The strike follows an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, prompting a shift in Israel’s strategy toward deadlier strikes.
Syrian state media reported an Israeli “aerial attack” in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus, with Syrian air defenses reportedly downing several missiles. The targeted multi-storey building, utilized by Iranian advisers supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s government, was completely destroyed by precise Israeli missiles, as reported by the security source.
While one corpse and three wounded individuals, including a woman, were received at the Al-Mowasat Hospital in Damascus, the nationality of a fifth person killed remained unidentified.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed faction in Syria and Lebanon, condemned the air strike but denied any of its members were wounded in the bombed-out building.
Iran and its allies, entrenched in various parts of Syria, have been supporting President Assad and expanding influence against Israel. In December, an Israeli air strike killed two Revolutionary Guards members, and another near Damascus on December 25 claimed the life of a senior adviser overseeing military coordination between Syria and Iran.
Amid the escalating conflict, Israel targeted south Lebanon on Saturday, killing two members of Hamas traveling in their car. The situation has contributed to increased violence in the region, involving Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, following the October events in Gaza.
