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An Israeli airstrike on Damascus airport reportedly killed nearly a dozen senior Iranian military officials. One expert told Fox News Digital that this was evidence of Israel's ability to maintain a diverse defense of the region.
“Although there is no independent confirmation of the names or ranks of the Guard Corps, the IRGC has long viewed Syria as a crucial regional hub for projecting power into the Eastern Mediterranean and connecting its proxy constellation, the 'Axis of Resistance,'” Behnam said Ben Taleblu, said a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“It should shock no one that the elite Guard Corps is operating there, especially in the midst of a regional war that they are waging far from their own soil,” he added.
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“If the attack is also independently verified, it would be further evidence of Israel's ability to restrain and deter resistance axis elements in other regions as it fights to defeat Hamas in Gaza,” Taleblu emphasized .
CALLING HOUTHI REBELS TERRORISTS IS “CRITICAL,” WARNS IRAN EXPERT
Syrian media claimed Israel had carried out attacks in waves on sites in southern Syria and near Damascus to disrupt Iran's operations in the country.
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A picture shows the Syrian flag waving in the wind at Damascus International Airport on the outskirts of the Syrian capital on October 1, 2020. (Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images)
A Jerusalem Post report said 11 Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) leaders were killed in the attack at the airport on Thursday evening.
The IRGC leadership's targets reportedly included Nur Rashid, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards in eastern Syria, who suffered only injuries from the attack. The group had reportedly visited the country to meet with high-level delegates from Syria.
IRAN AND HAMAS DISPUTE OVER CREDIT FOR OCT. 7 TERROR ATTACKS: “TRYING TO WASH AWAY BLOOD WITH BLOOD”
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Israel reportedly launched attacks against IRGC personnel in Damascus last week: Iranian leaders claimed that one such attack on Monday killed senior IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi, who is responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria was.
Esmail Qaani (left), commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, attends the mourning ceremony for the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Razi Mousavi, who died in the Israeli attacks on Damascus, in Tehran, December 28, 2023. Iran, was killed. Iranian leader's press office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Iranian state media interrupted its broadcasts to announce Mousavi's death, describing him as one of the IRGC's most senior advisers in Syria.
While the IDF has not commented on the recent attacks in Syria, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke out and stated on Friday during a tour of the Ramat David air base “The IAF's commitment in all areas is very impressive. It is appropriate that the “thunder” of our aircraft drown out unnecessary discussions and allow the IDF to carry out its missions calmly and safely.”
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Israel has not shied away from Iran's aggression, which Tehran is pushing in the region through its various proxy groups, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Fears of a major conflict in the Middle East are growing
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in an editorial in the Wall Street Journal this week that Israel retaliated even in Iran for terrorist attacks in 2022, and said he told his security chiefs during his time in office that his goal was “to prevent “reasonably possible local clashes” with Iranian proxies.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet makes a statement to the press that he will not participate in the upcoming general election on June 29, 2022 in Jerusalem, Israel. The dissolution of Israel's parliament, triggered by the collapse of the eight-party ruling coalition, will force the fifth election in four years. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
“As Prime Minister, I have made another decision regarding Iran,” Bennett wrote. “I have ordered the Israeli security forces to make Tehran pay for its decision to support terror.”
“Enough impunity,” he stressed. “After Iran launched two failed UAV attacks on Israel in February 2022, Israel destroyed a UAV base on Iranian soil.”
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“In March 2022, the Iranian terror unit tried and failed to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey. Shortly afterwards, the commander of this unit was assassinated in central Tehran,” he added.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.