Israeli Airstrike Kills Iranian General in Damascus, Raising Regional Tensions

An Israeli airstrike in a Damascus neighborhood has claimed the life of a high-ranking Iranian general, according to Iranian state media. Razi Mousavi, a trusted adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, was killed in the attack. This incident occurs amid escalating clashes between Hezbollah and Israel along the Lebanon-Israel border, raising concerns about a potential regional spillover involving Iran-backed groups. The recent Israeli strikes in Syria have already resulted in the deaths of two other high-ranking generals. The strike targeted the Sayida Zeinab neighborhood, which is located near a significant Shiite Muslim shrine. While the Israeli military and Syrian state media have not yet made any official statements regarding the attack, details provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights suggest that Mousavi was targeted while present in a farm that allegedly served as one of several Hezbollah offices in the area. Israel has been carrying out numerous airstrikes in Syria, mostly in government-controlled areas, without explicitly acknowledging them. These strikes are often aimed at Iranian-backed groups that have been supporting the Syrian government. The killing of Razi Mousavi, who was described as a close companion of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qassim Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last year, further underscores the tense situation in the region.