Iran state media says an Israeli airstrike outside Damascus in Syria on Monday killed an Iranian senior adviser in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Reuters reported that three security sources confirmed the death of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, who was responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria.
State television interrupted programming to announce the death of Mousavi and described him as one of the oldest advisers for the IRGC in Syria.
The statement indicated that Mousavi was accompanying Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020.
Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador in Damascus, informed state television that Mousavi was present in the embassy in a diplomatic capacity and that he was killed by missiles launched by Israel upon returning home from work. Iran state media
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi characterized the assassination as a manifestation of Israel’s vulnerability. He was quoted as saying, “This act is a sign of the Zionist regime’s frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price.”
“The usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime,” declared the IRGC in a statement provided to state TV.
Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, conveyed on state TV, “Iran reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to this action at the appropriate time and place.”