(CNN) — A top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was killed among several others in an airstrike on the country’s consulate building in Damascus, Syria, according to Iranian officials and state-affiliated media, which blamed Israel for the attack.
Iranian Quds Force commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi killed in the incident on Monday, reported Fars News, which is managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
People gathered around the flattened building in Syria’s capital, according to photographs of the scene. Footage of the aftermath of the blast, published by Iranian state media Press TV, showed extensive damage, fire and smoke at the scene.
Speaking on camera to reporters in Damascus, Iranian ambassador Hossein Akbari alleged that the building, located next to the Iranian embassy, “was targeted with six missiles from Israeli F-35 warplanes.”
“Between five and seven people were killed in the attack. I was in my office in the embassy at the time and witnessed the destruction myself,” Akbari said. He added that Iranian embassy staff and military advisers were among the dead.
Asked for comment on the incident by CNN, the Israel Defense Forces said it does not comment on foreign reports.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria have also accused Israel of authoring the attack, with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian calling it a “violation of all international obligations and conventions” and demanding a “serious response by the international community.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad described the alleged attack a “gross violation of international regulations, especially the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” according to a readout of his call with Amir-Abdollahian.
The multilateral treaty codifies diplomatic immunity and the inviolability of embassies and consulates.
Zahedi, the slain commander, was previously the commander of IRGC’s ground forces, the commander of IRGC’s air force, and the deputy commander of the IRGC’s operations.
United States State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US did not “have confirmation either of the target or the responsible party” at a briefing on Monday.
“Before we have gathered information about what exactly this was, I don’t want to speak to it specifically,” Miller added. “But of course, we’re always concerned about anything that would be escalatory or cause an increase in conflict in the region.”
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