Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses a Hamas solidarity rally in Tehran. Photo: Reuters/Sobhan Farajvan

i24 News — The spokesman of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a US-designated terrorist organization, said on Wednesday that “we will soon witness further deadly attacks against Israel, and the resistance front will fulfill its duty.”

The comment came in response to a strike in the Syrian capital on Monday that was attributed to Israel.

Media outlets in Syria and Iran reported on the extraordinary attack that took place near the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, also known as Hassan Mahdavi, the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, was killed in the strike. Zahedi previously commanded the IRGC air force and the Imam Hussein division. Mohammad Rahimi, Zahedi’s deputy, was also killed.

The Axios website reported on Tuesday that the United States had informed Iran that it was “not involved in the attack” and did not know in advance about the Israeli military’s intention to carry it out. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also responded to the attack and condemned it: “We condemn the damage to the staff of the Iranian consulate in Damascus. We reject any and all attacks on diplomatic facilities. We stand in solidarity with our sister Syria in respect to its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its people.”

In Israel, no official comment has been given yet, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) usually observing a policy of ambiguity with regards to strikes attributed to it in Syria. However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant alluded to it at the security cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, saying “We are in a multi-front war, attacking and defending. We see this every day, including recently, and we are active everywhere every day to prevent the strengthening of our enemies and to make clear to anyone operating against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be heavy.”

A report in the New York Times on Wednesday said that Iran’s leadership is in a state of disagreement about the severity of the response to the assassination of Mohammed Reza Zahedi. The report suggested that Iran could fire long-range ballistic missiles directly at Israel from its territory, but those advocating this response are the “extremists” within the Iranian regime.

However, security analysts say it is unlikely Iran would attack Israel directly, and would likely carry out a response via its proxy terror groups. The Financial Times quoted a senior Iranian official who said that his country is not interested in escalating the conflict with Israel or the US. According to the report also published on Wednesday, the senior official added that “the attack in Damascus shows that Israel is the one interested in leading Iran into conflict.” The newspaper also quoted senior Israeli security officials who said that “the Iranians will try to attack Israeli targets in Europe, South America, and other places.”