Five Iran Revolutionary Guard members killed in Israeli strike

DUBAI: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that five of its “military advisers” were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in Damascus, Syria’s capital.

According to Syrian state media SANA, the attack occurred in the Mazzeh neighbourhood, with the building being the focus of “Israeli aggression.”

Iran swiftly attributed blame to Israel, with President Ebrahim Raisi stating that Iran “reserves the right to respond” to what it perceives as “crimes” by the Israeli government.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani condemned the attack as part of an “escalation in aggressive and provocative attacks” by Israel and hinted at Tehran’s intention to retaliate “at the appropriate time and place.”

An anonymous source told Al Jazeera that the targeted building housed an IRGC intelligence unit, including a senior IRGC intelligence official and his assistants.

In its initial response, the IRGC reported that Israeli fighter jets had killed “a number of Syrian forces and four military advisers,” naming the deceased as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, and Saied Karimi, without specifying their ranks.

Later updates from the IRGC revealed that a fifth member, identified as Mohammad Amin Samadi, succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack, bringing the total casualties to five.

The assault, allegedly carried out with at least four missiles, resulted in the complete destruction of the four-story building, as reported by Iranian state media.

As of now, Israel has refrained from commenting on the incident.