Israeli airstrike in Syria kills senior Iranian general

A senior general with Iran's Revolutionary Guards was killed on Monday by an Israeli strike in Syria, the military force said, vowing to avenge "this crime."

Iranian state media also reported the death of Razi Moussavi, describing him as "one of the most experienced advisors" of Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has repeatedly said it will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.

Moussavi "was killed during an attack by the Zionist regime a few hours ago in Zeinabiyah district in the suburbs of Damascus," Tehran's official IRNA news agency reported, using a different name for Sayyida Zeinab south of the Syrian capital.

The general was "active in the field of providing logistical support to the axis of resistance in Syria," IRNA said, referring to groups backed by Tehran and arrayed against Israel.

The IRGC confirmed Moussavi's death in a statement, saying he was killed in a "missile attack" and vowed that Israel "will pay for this crime".

The statement noted that Moussavi was a companion of General Qassem Soleimani, Iran's revered Quds commander who was killed in Baghdad in a US drone strike in 2020.
Next week Iran will mark the fourth anniversary of Soleimani's assassination.

Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi vowed that Israel "will certainly pay" for the killing in Syria of a senior general with the Revolutionary Guards.

"Without a doubt, this action is another sign of frustration, helplessness and incapacity of the usurping Israel in the region," Raisi said in a statement that added Israel "will certainly pay for this crime".