Successful strike takes out top advisor
In a dramatic escalation of Middle Eastern tensions, a daring Israeli missile raid outside Damascus ended in the death of a high-ranking Iranian military strategist on Monday, Iranian state media reports.
Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a veteran Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advisor, was confirmed dead by three security sources, Reuters detailed. Mousavi’s role was crucial, overseeing the military cooperation between Iran and war-torn Syria.
Interrupted Airwaves
State television halted regular broadcasts to break this significant news, eulogizing Mousavi as a seasoned advisor within the IRGC’s operations in Syria. The announcement highlighted Mousavi’s close association with the late Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force, who met his demise in a 2020 U.S. drone attack in Iraq.
Iran’s envoy in Damascus, Hossein Akbari, disclosed to state television that Mousavi, working in the embassy in a diplomatic capacity, fell victim to an Israeli missile attack on his way home.
Threats from Ebrahim Raisi
President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran denounced the assassination, portraying it as a desperate act of an embattled Israel. “This act is a sign of the Zionist regime’s frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price,” Raisi asserted emphatically.
“This act is a sign of the Zionist regime’s frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price,” Raisi asserted emphatically.
The IRGC, mirroring Raisi’s sentiments, issued a stark warning through state television, promising retribution. “The usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime,” the IRGC’s firm statement read.
Nasser Kanaani, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, informed state TV, “Iran reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to this action at the appropriate time and place.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s military maintained silence over the incident.
This attack is not the first of its kind; Israel has conducted numerous operations against Iran-affiliated targets in Syria, reflecting the ongoing covert conflict. Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran’s influence has only deepened, having supported President Bashar al-Assad throughout the conflict. Earlier this month, Iran acknowledged that Israeli strikes had resulted in the deaths of two more IRGC members in Syria, reinforcing the volatility of the regional power dynamics.
