Israel strikes Iran consulate in Syria: What we know
Iran has promised to respond to a suspected Israeli missile attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed seven people, including Brigadier-General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.
Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said Tehran’s response would be “decisive”.
Members of Syria Civil Defence stand near a damaged site after what Syrian and Iranian media described as an Israeli air attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1, 2024
Saudi Arabia condemns ‘targeting’ of Iranian consulate in Damascus
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement condemning the targeting of the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital.
The ministry expressed “categorical rejection” of the “targeting of diplomatic facilities for any justification, and under any pretext, which is a violation of international diplomatic laws and the rules of diplomatic immunity”.
Lebanon denounces Israeli attack on Iranian consulate in Syria
Lebanon condemned the Israeli strikes on the Iranian consulate in Damascus saying it’s a “serious” violation of international norms. The incident is a “breach of international law and a serious violation of the Vienna agreements for diplomatic and consular relations”, the foreign ministry said.
“The ministry expresses its sincere condolences to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the victims’ families, and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded and injured.”
China: ‘We oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tensions’
China condemned Israel’s deadly air strikes that destroyed the consular annex at Iran’s embassy in Damascus. “The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
“The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent and we oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tensions.”
Iranian president: Israel’s ‘cowardly crime will not go unanswered’
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced the Israeli air strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, calling it an “inhuman attack” that grossly violates international law. “After repeated failures … the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda,” Raisi said in a statement quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “But it should know that it will never achieve its sinister goals with such inhumane measures.
“This cowardly crime will not go unanswered,” said Raisi.
The strike on Monday levelled the consular section of Iran’s embassy, killing a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s elite Quds force, his deputy, and five others.
UNSC to meet over Israel’s attack on Iranian consulate in Syria
At the request of Russia, the UN Security Council will hold an “open briefing” on Israel’s strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, according to Russia’s deputy envoy Dmitry Polyansk.
The briefing, scheduled by the Maltese presidency, will take place at 3pm New York time (19:00 GMT), said Polyansk in a post on X.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “absolutely unacceptable” Israeli attack, which on Monday killed seven people, including senior Iranian officials, and called on Israel to cease such “provocative acts”.
EU urges ‘restraint’ after Iran consulate strike
The European Union has said it was “alarmed by the alleged Israeli strike” on the Iranian consulate in Syria’s Damascus and warned against any escalation after Tehran promised revenge.
“In this highly tense regional situation, it is really of utmost importance to show restraint because the further escalation in the region is in no one’s interests,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano said.
The killings are the most significant strike against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps since the US assassinated Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
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