DAMASCUS: Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran’s embassy in Syria in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders, and that marked a major escalation in Israel’s war with its regional adversaries.
Meanwhile, Pakistan strongly condemned the attack by Israel. The Foreign Office in a statement said it was against international laws and conventions. It termed the attack an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Syria and undermining its stability and security.
Reporters at the site in the Mezzeh district of Damascus saw emergency workers clambering atop rubble of a destroyed building inside the diplomatic compound, adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building. Emergency vehicles were parked outside. An Iranian flag hung from a pole by the debris.
“We strongly condemn this atrocious terrorist attack that targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed a number of innocents,” said Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad who was seen at the site along with Syria’s interior minister.
Iran’s ambassador to Syria said the strike hit a consular building in the embassy compound and that his residence was on the top two floors.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that seven Iranian military advisers died in the strike including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force, which is an elite foreign espionage and paramilitary arm.
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