Iranian general killed in Israeli airstrike: report
Fox News' Trey Yingst provides details on the strike that Lebanese security sources claim killed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader and explains the possibility of a response from Iran.
An Israeli airstrike launched at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria on Monday has killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, a Lebanese security source has told Reuters.
In 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Zahedi, describing him as playing a key role in Iran's support of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Reuters is reporting that its journalists at the scene in the Syrian capital saw smoke rising from the rubble of a building that was flattened in the airstrike. Israel has not confirmed its involvement.
"We do not comment on reports in the foreign media," an Israeli military spokesperson told Reuters when asked about the matter.
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Iranian state media is reporting that multiple diplomats have been killed in the strike as well, according to Reuters. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi/TPX Images of the Day)
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday that "we are in conversations with partners in the region gathering more information, but at this point, don't have confirmation either of the target or the responsible party." White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, also when asked about the reported strike, said "our team is looking into it."
The U.S. Treasury said in 2010 that Zahedi "has also acted as a liaison to Hezbollah and Syrian intelligence services and is reportedly charged with guaranteeing weapons shipments to Hezbollah."
The airstrike Monday also killed several Iranian diplomats, Reuters is reporting, citing Iranian state media.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria. (Fars Media Corporation)
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have frequently been engaged in cross-border skirmishes since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
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Israel said in February that it killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike carried out in Lebanon.
A damaged car is lifted following the strike in Damascus, Syria, on Monday, April 1. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi)
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The Israel Defense Forces had announced at the time that an overnight airstrike targeting a "Hezbollah military structure" in Nabatieh killed Ali Muhammad Aldbas, a senior commander of the Radwan forces. His deputy commander, Ibrahim Issa, and an additional terrorist were killed in the attack, according to the IDF.
Fox News' Thomas Ferraro and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.