Iranian military adviser killed in Israeli attack in Syrian capital

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – A senior official of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has been killed in an Israeli attack in a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to Iranian media on Monday.

Sayyed Razi, who served as a senior military adviser for IRGC in Syria, was killed in an airstrike in the Sayyeda Zeinab neighborhood of Damascus, media reports said.

Syrian media earlier reported a series of Israeli attacks in the area, the sound of which reverberated widely in the suburbs of the capital.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency said Razi was one of the oldest IRGC military advisers serving in Syria and one of the close companions of slain military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

His killing came amid a series of attacks on US military bases and Israeli interests in both Iraq and Syria in recent weeks that have been linked to Iran-backed groups in Iraq.

Iran maintains a significant military presence in Syria, which has often fueled tension between Tehran and Washington as American forces are also stationed there.

The escalation in tensions comes as the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip rages on, claiming nearly 20,700 Palestinian lives.

There has been no official reaction from Iranian officials on the incident yet.