Iran vows retaliation on Israel after assassination of senior IRGC commander in Syria

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has vowed retaliation against Israel after the assassination of a senior commander in a reported Israeli strike in Syria’s capital Damascus on Monday.

Brig Gen Razi Mousavi, known as Sayyed Razi, was a close colleague of the late IRGC leader Qassem Suleimani and was “responsible for supporting the resistance front in Syria”, the Corp’s media arm said.

The IRGC promised retribution in the statement announcing Mousavi’s, saying that “the usurping and barbaric Zionist regime will pay for this crime, without a doubt”.

Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari declined to say on Monday if Israel had anything to do with the killing of the Iranian commander.

“The Israeli army’s duty is to maintain Israel’s security interests,” Admiral Hagari said.

The commander was reputed to be one of the longest-serving and most prominent of the IRGC’s military advisers in Syria.

He was responsible for support and logistics for the IRGC’s Quds Force in the country. Several previous attempts had been made on his life.

Before the announcement of Mousavi’s death, explosions were heard in the Damascus suburb of Sayeda Zainab, with Syrian media circulating footage of a large smoke plume rising from the area.

The air strike hit his residence in Sayeda Zainab, according to Iranian media.

Israel often attacks Iranian militants and military advisers in Syria, but does not always claim ownership of the attacks.

While the Israeli military did not comment on the strike, it has tried for years to prevent Iranian entrenchment in neighbouring Syria.