Middle East
IRGC members Morteza Saeednejad (left) and Ehsan Karabalipour (right) were killed in an attack on Syria on March 7, 2022. Photo: Fars News; Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday vowed to seek revenge against Israel, saying it will “pay the price” for killing two of its guards in an airstrike in Syria earlier this week.
Syrian state media initially reported on Monday that an Israeli attack over the Syrian capital killed two civilians and wounded six others, as well as causing material damage to facilities.
The IRGC confirmed on Tuesday night that two members of its force were killed in the airstrike.
Colonel Ehsan Karabalipour and Colonel Morteza Saeednejad were killed on Monday on the outskirts of Damascus in an Israeli airstrike, the IRGC said in a statement published on Farsnews. “Without a doubt, the Zionist regime will pay the price for the crime.”
The threats against Israel by the IRGC come amid ongoing negotiations in Vienna between Iran and global powers aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, which Israel has strongly opposed. Israel has criticized the deal, claiming it is weak and will not rein in Iranian nuclear ambitions, perceived as a great threat.
Iranian foreign ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh also condemned the "Israeli rocket attack" on Wednesday, state media reported.
Russia controls the Syrian airspace and has allowed Israel to carry out strikes targeting Iranian positions. An escalation in the war in Ukraine may force Israel into condemning Russia, which would then make it difficult for them to continue striking Syria.
Israel frequently carries out strikes in Syria, targeting Iran-affiliated militias, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah group which supports the Syrian army, in what it says is an effort to prevent them from securing further ground along its borders.
Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Assad’s army in the war, which started after a military crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011 calling for his ousting.
Iran claims it has deployed forces in Syria at the invitation of the Syrian government and their role is purely advisory.
Although Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria over the course of its 10-year civil war, it rarely acknowledges them.
They have, however, said that they target bases belonging to the Iran-backed militias and attack arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias, AP reported.
Updated at 12:51 pm
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