UPDATE – Iranian military adviser killed in Israeli attack in Syrian capital

UPDATES WITH IRGC STATEMENT
By Syed Zafar Mahdi
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 local 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.
In a statement, the IRGC public relations department described Razi as an "experienced military adviser” and a "comrade" of Soleimani, adding that Israel will "pay a price” for his death.
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.