IRGC Commanders Targeted While Meeting Militant Allies

Iranian military commanders were targeted on Monday in Damascus while meeting with members of Lebanese Hezbollah and other regional militant groups, a high ranking source tells IranWire. 

"A significant gathering involving the IRGC commanders, Lebanese Hezbollah, and leadership figures from other militias associated with Iran was going on when the building was hit," a source affiliated with the Fourth Division of the Syrian army told IranWire.

Iran reported that at least five advisers of the IRGC were killed alongside Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Zahedi’s deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Zahedi played a central role in the supply of Iranian-made missiles to Hezbollah and had been subject to US sanctions as early as 2010.

Videos aired on Iranian state TV showed smoke billowing from the remains of a completely razed building.

An Iranian flag hung from a pole amidst the debris, with nearby cars showing damage from the falling debris.

The building, located between the Iranian embassy and the Canadian embassy in Damascus, was repurposed in 2012 to serve as a consular annex for the Iranian embassy.

Subsequently, it was transformed into a command center, hosting meetings and operational activities for leaders of the IRGC and affiliated militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, according to a source who spoke to IranWire.

According to a Syrian official, the targeted building, located among diplomatic compounds in Damascus, functioned as a "hub for coordinating Iran's military and political strategies in Syria," contradicting its stated consular purpose.

Over the years, Israel has consistently conducted airstrikes against various targets in Syria linked to Iran.

The primary objective of these operations has been to disrupt the flow of arms and impede collaboration with Hezbollah, which has deployed a significant number of fighters to support the military efforts of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Despite escalating tensions, both Washington and Tehran have expressed their intention to avoid a full-scale war.

Iran's network of proxies in the region, known as 'the axis of resistance,' has engaged in skirmishes with Israel and launched attacks on US forces and bases across the Middle East since the October 7 attacks on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group.

The actions have heightened concerns of a broader regional conflict

However, Tehran has recently attempted to reduce tensions with Washington following a drone attack on a US military base on the Jordanian-Syrian border in January, which resulted in the deaths of three American troops.

Senior US and Iranian officials engaged in indirect talks in January, and both sides have demonstrated efforts to de-escalate hostilities.