Iran vowed to respond to the April 1 airstrike on its consulate in Damascus that killed at least a dozen people, including the commander of the Quds Forces in Syria and a member of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the Associated Press reported.
The airstrike, which Iran claimed was carried out by Israel, purportedly killed Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, his deputy Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi, and Hezbollah member Hussein Youseff.
The Syrian Health Ministry said four Syrians were among the dead and 13 others were seriously injured in the strike. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrians killed in the attack were all members of pro-Iranian militia groups.
In an April 1 meeting in Tehran, the Supreme National Security Council reportedly decided on the “required” response. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed that Iran would make Israel “regretful about the crime and similar acts.”
Hezbollah confirmed Hussein Youseff was among the dead and said in a statement that the “crime” would not “pass without the enemy receiving punishment” and vowed revenge.
During an April 2 emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Zahra Eshadi claimed that the strike destroyed the consulate and the death toll would likely rise as people remained trapped in the rubble.
Ershadi accused Israel of launching the strike and claimed that the United States was responsible for any crimes committed by Israel.
US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said the US could not confirm the details about the April 1 attack. He acknowledged that Washington privately communicated to Tehran that the US played no part in the airstrike.
Ershadi declared that Iran had shown “considerable restraint” when dealing with Israel but added that it reserved the right to respond to the April 1 attack decisively.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the airstrike. However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on April 2 that the United States had concluded that Israel was behind the attack.
