Increased Death Toll: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that Israeli airstrikes on a building of the Iranian regime embassy in Damascus have resulted in at least 14 fatalities.
Breakdown of Casualties:
- Syrian Resistance for the Liberation of Golan: Five members (trained and armed by Iran, overseen by Hezbollah)
- Lebanese Hezbollah: One member
- Iranian Forces: Eight members, including seven commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
High-Ranking Deaths: SOHR confirms the deaths of prominent Iranian officials:
- Mohamed Reda Zahdy: Commander of IRGC in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine
- His deputy, office director, and other Iranian advisors
- Hussein Amir Allah: Head of the IRGC department for Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine (along with two others)
Context of Israeli Strikes: This attack is part of a larger trend of Israeli military activity in Syria throughout 2024. SOHR has documented 30 attacks (22 airstrikes and 8 ground-based rocket attacks) targeting various positions in Syria. These attacks have resulted in:
- Destroyed Targets: Nearly 59 targets, including buildings, weapons caches, headquarters, centers, and vehicles.
- Combatant Casualties: 129 deaths and 47 injuries. The breakdown includes:
- 21 IRGC members
- 20 Hezbollah members
- 12 Iraqi personnel
- 28 Iranian-backed Syrian militia fighters
- 10 Iranian-backed non-Syrian militia fighters
- 38 Syrian regime soldiers
Geographic Distribution of Strikes:
- Damascus and Rif Dimashq: 15 attacks
- Daraa: Seven attacks
- Homs: Three attacks
- Al-Quneitra: Two attacks
- Tartus: One attack
- Deir Ezzor: One attack
- Aleppo: One attack
Note: SOHR acknowledges that some Israeli attacks may have targeted multiple provinces simultaneously.
