"The Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered, the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted: Iran's President

At least five Iranians were killed when an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a facility used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, according to reports from Iranian and Syrian official media.

The Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to the Syrian army, which also claimed that the structure was completely destroyed. Mazzeh is a heavily guarded area in western Damascus. The Israeli army remained silent.

A few hours later, two Hezbollah members who were in the car and two persons who were in a nearby orchard were killed by an Israeli drone hit on a car near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, according to a group spokesman and Lebanon's official news agency. One of those killed was Ali Hudruj, a local Hezbollah commander, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, without giving further details.

Two of the dead in Damascus have been named by Nour News, which is thought to be closely affiliated with Iran's intelligence services. They are Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the moniker Hajj Gholam. The five deceased were identified as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi, and Mohammad Amin Samadi by statements later released by the guard. It provided them with no ranks. There was a delay in reconciling the disparity in information.

The missile attack occurred while representatives of organizations backed by Iran were having a conference, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. Five Iranians and one Syrian were among the at least six persons who died in the strike. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi denounced the Israeli strike on Damascus, saying that "the Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered," according to the Telegram channel of Iranian state TV.

The Israeli strike was denounced by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani in a statement, adding that "the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted."

Additionally, Iran made another attempt to associate Israel with the Islamic State organization, as its officials have been doing since the extremists' suicide attack in Iran in early January claimed more than ninety lives.

Ambulances and fire engines were spotted nearby, and security personnel positioned themselves around the demolished four-story structure. A search for people trapped under the rubble was underway. Windows were also shattered in nearby buildings.

A nearby grocery store employee reported hearing five blasts in a row at approximately 10:15 a.m.; he also reported seeing three injured individuals and the remains of a man and a woman being removed.

The store trembled. For security considerations, I waited inside for a short while before going outside and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque," the man told The Associated Press. He asked not to have his name used.

"What transpired was horrifying." A local resident named Khaled Mawed claimed, "I collapsed."

As Israel continues its offensive in Gaza, regional tensions are rising at the time of the strike. One of the bloodiest and most catastrophic military operations in recent memory was Israel's attack there. has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction and uprooted over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.

Following Hamas' historic cross-border raid on Israel on October 7 that claimed 1,200 lives and kidnapped about 250 more, Israel went on the offensive. Israel estimates that there are still about 130 captives held by Hamas. Tensions in the area have increased as a result of the war, raising the possibility of new clashes.

Seyed Razi Mousavi, an Iranian officer and longtime advisor to the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, was murdered by an Israeli airstrike on a Damascus suburb last month. Over the past few years, Israel has also targeted Lebanese and Palestinian operatives in Syria.

Officials from Iran and Syria have long admitted that Iran has military experts and advisors in Syria, but they have denied the presence of ground troops. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups took part in Syria's conflict that started in March 2011, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.

Following Hamas' historic cross-border raid on Israel on October 7 that claimed 1,200 lives and kidnapped about 250 more, Israel went on the offensive. Israel estimates that there are still about 130 captives held by Hamas. Tensions in the area have increased as a result of the war, raising the possibility of new clashes.

In recent years, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled areas of Syria devastated by war.

Although Israel rarely admits to its actions in Syria, it has stated that it targets the facilities of militant organizations with Iranian ties, such Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has dispatched thousands of fighters to aid the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Leading Hamas commander Saleh Arouri was killed in Beirut earlier this month in an alleged Israeli strike.

In recent weeks, Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have launched rockets from Syria into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, escalating tensions along the border between Lebanon and Israel and resulting in attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

End//voice7news.tv