Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad inaugurate the new Iranian consulate in Damascus
Iran’s foreign minister opened the country’s new consulate in Damascus on Monday, a week after a deadly strike claimed Israel destroyed the previous one, escalating regional tensions.
Tehran, a crucial Damascus ally, has vowed to avenge last Monday’s air strike on the Iranian embassy’s consular section, which killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel, including two generals.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of Israel and Hamas’s ongoing conflict, which began with the Iran-backed Palestinian group’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.
Damascus and Tehran blame Israel for last Monday’s raid, but it has not responded.
Iran’s foreign minister began a regional tour Sunday in Oman, a long-time mediator between Tehran and the West, where Muscat’s foreign minister urged for de-escalation.
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned Sunday that Israeli embassies were no longer safe following the Damascus bombing.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported that 16 persons were killed in the consulate strike: eight Iranians, five Syrians, one member of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, and two civilians.
Generals Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, top commanders in the Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign operations arm, were killed.
Israel has launched hundreds of air raids in Syria since the civil war began 13 years ago, targeting Iran-backed forces such as Hezbollah, as well as Syrian army sites and weapons stores.
It rarely mentions specific strikes, but Israel’s raids have risen since the Gaza war began.
Tehran supports the Palestinian group Hamas but has denied any direct involvement in the group’s October 7 strike, which triggered Israeli retribution in Gaza.
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