Israeli Strike in Damascus Kills 4 Iranian Revolutionary Guards

People and security forces gather in front of a building destroyed in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on January 20, 2024. (Photo by Louai Beshara / AFP)
People and security forces gather in front of a building destroyed in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on January 20, 2024. (Photo by Louai Beshara / AFP)
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Israeli Strike in Damascus Kills 4 Iranian Revolutionary Guards

People and security forces gather in front of a building destroyed in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on January 20, 2024. (Photo by Louai Beshara / AFP)
People and security forces gather in front of a building destroyed in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on January 20, 2024. (Photo by Louai Beshara / AFP)

An Israeli missile strike on Syria's capital Damascus on Saturday killed four members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Iranian state television said the targeted building was the residence of Iranian advisers in the Syrian capital.

Syrian state media reported an Israeli "aerial attack" on a building in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus and said Syrian air defenses had shot down a number of missiles.

Nour News, which is believed to be close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, identified two of the dead in Damascus as Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam. The guard later issued a statement identifying the dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi and Saeed Karimi. It gave no ranks for them. The difference in information could not be immediately reconciled.

An opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least six people — five Iranians and a Syrian — were killed in the missile attack that struck while officials from Iran-backed groups were holding a meeting. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.
 



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.