A general of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, was killed in Syria in an Israeli strike near Damascus, Iran's official Irna agency reported on Monday.
• Also read: Man executed in Iran for 'collaborating with Mossad'
The general, one of the Guard's most experienced advisers in Syria, Razi Moussavi, was killed during an “attack by the Zionist regime a few hours ago” on the Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood south of Damascus, Irna stated.
The Islamic Republic is one of the main international backers of Hamas, whose attack on October 7 left around 1,140 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on the latest official Israeli figures available.
In a press release, the Guardians presented “Brigadier General Mousavi” as the “logistical manager of the Axis of Resistance” (armed groups fighting against Israel) in Syria.
AFP
The IRNA agency added that the man, a “companion” of General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, the elite Revolutionary Guard unit and a key figure in the Islamic Republic in the Middle East, was killed in a US strike in Iraq in early 2020 .
Israel rarely comments on its operations in Syria but says it wants to prevent Iran, its arch-enemy, from establishing itself on its doorstep.
When asked Monday about Mr. Mousavi's death, the Israeli army said it “does not comment on information provided by foreign media.”
In early December, Iran announced the deaths of two Guards officers in Israeli airstrikes on Tehran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah sites.
Together with other pro-Iranian groups, they have been firing rockets into northern Israel every day since October 7th.