Risks of escalation of Conflict in Middle East as Israel bombed Iranian Consulate in Syria
Iran has vowed to take action after two Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders were among the seven people killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Monday that the senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi, were killed in the attack.
Reporters at the scene saw smoke billowing from the rubble and emergency vehicles parked outside in Damascus’s Mezzeh district, where the consulate is located.
Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari said no one was injured, but at least five people, including three military personnel, were killed in the attack.
Iran’s response would be ‘decisive’
He said the Iranian government’s response would be “decisive.” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian condemned Israel, calling the attack a “violation of all international obligations and treaties.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Qanani said in a separate statement that Iran “reserves the right to respond and will decide on the nature of the response and punishment of the attackers.”
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad condemned the “terrorist attack”.
“We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed many innocent people,” Mekdad said in a statement carried by Syrian state news agency SANA.
When asked about the attack, an Israeli military spokesperson told reporters: “We do not comment on foreign media reports.”
Russia and US responses
Russia accused Israel of an “unacceptable” attack. “We strongly condemn this unacceptable attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria,” the State Department said in a statement.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that the United States remains “concerned about anything that could lead to escalation or deterioration of conflict in the region.”
Since Israel launched a war in the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7 following an attack by the Palestinian organization Hamas, Israel has fought in Syria against the Iranian revolution, which supports the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia and government. It has stepped up airstrikes against the IRGC. Words from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The attack in Damascus comes days after Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people in Syria’s northern Aleppo province, amid concerns that the war in Gaza could lead to a broader regional escalation.
Ali Baez, director of the International Crisis Group’s Iran project, said Israel’s alleged attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria was “the same as attacking another country on its own territory.” “Overall, it still looks like a low-intensity regional war. “It’s not a full-blown regional conflict yet, but Israel seems intent on escalating the conflict,” Baez told Al Jazeera.
“[This] puts Israel in a win-win situation because Israel knows that Iran does not want to get involved in a regional war.” Escalating attacks on personnel would likely incur costs, and if Iran did respond and retaliate, it would provide a legitimate pretext for escalating the war.”