Israeli airstrikes on Damascus Airport in Syria on Thursday night reportedly neutralized 11 high-ranking officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. These reports were made known by Arabic media outlets Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath of Saudi Arabia.
The airstrike also resulted in the injury of Nawzat Rashid, commander of the IRGC in eastern Syria. At the time of the attack, Rashid and other commanders were said to be receiving a high-level delegation at the airport, possibly in response to Iran’s threats to retaliate for the execution of another high-ranking officer by an Israeli airstrike in Syria.
Sources from the Syrian army clearly identified Israel as responsible for these strikes. In addition to targeting high-ranking Iranian officials, the strikes also targeted a large air defense base in southern Syria. Syrian state media claimed that their air defenses intercepted most of the missiles, limiting the damage to material losses. However, another airstrike, believed to be from Israeli forces, was carried out over Lebanese territory early on Friday morning.
This strike targeted several points around Damascus, mainly causing material losses. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that these attacks focused on Damascus International Airport and air defense arrays.
While the Saudi news agency Al-Hadath reports the elimination of 11 IRGC officers, these claims have not yet been officially confirmed by Iran despite multiple reports from Arabic media.
