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An explosion in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has leveled an Iranian diplomatic mission and killed a senior commander in Tehran’s armed forces, Syrian and Iranian media claimed Monday.
In what could be a dramatic escalation in the conflict in the Middle East, Iran said the blast resulted from a strike by Israeli warplanes. Six people are reported to have died, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an officer in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corp.
According to Iranian state media, several diplomats were also killed, although the ambassador, Hossein Akbari, is reported to have been unharmed.
Photos and videos from the scene appear to show the building flattened, with emergency services personnel sifting through the rubble.
Responding to the news, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad “strongly condemned” the alleged attack and said “the Israeli occupation entity will not be able to impact ties between Iran and Syria.” Tehran has provided military support to the Syrian regime since the start of the country’s civil war in 2011.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from POLITICO, although a spokesman told other media outlets, including Reuters: “We do not comment on reports in foreign media.”
Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes against Iranian targets in Syria and Iran-backed Hezbollah militias in Lebanon since the start of its war against Tehran’s ally, Hamas, in Gaza in October.
