An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy official, serving as a military adviser in Syria, was killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike near the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas. Iran’s official news agency IRNA confirmed the death of Reza Zarei, alongside reports from other Iranian media outlets stating that two members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, were also killed in the strike.
The IRGC has reportedly reduced the deployment of its senior officers in Syria following a series of Israeli strikes, opting instead to leverage allied Shiite militias to maintain influence in the region.
Local sources reported that the strike targeted a villa, leading to three deaths and seven injuries, as confirmed by a local hospital to Germany’s dpa news agency. Syrian authorities have not commented on the incident, maintaining their usual stance on such attacks. Israel, which typically does not acknowledge individual strikes, has consistently stated its intention to prevent Iran from expanding its military presence in Syria.
This incident follows a recent pattern of intensified Israeli strikes against Iran-backed forces in Syria, including a notable attack near Damascus. The Syrian Defense Ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted several sites in the Damascus countryside, causing material damage. Despite claims of intercepting most missiles, skepticism remains regarding the efficacy of Syria’s missile defense against Israeli strikes.
The region has witnessed a surge in such confrontations, with previous Israeli actions targeting Hezbollah members and sites used for weapons transfers near the Lebanese border.Â
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