The semi-official Iranian news agency, Mehr, reported on Sunday that Mekdad Mehqani, a military adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, was killed in an Israeli attack on Syria. Iranian websites had previously reported that Mehqani had been injured in an Israeli attack a few days prior and had succumbed to his injuries at dawn on Sunday.
The death of Mekdad Mehqani brings the total number of Iranian casualties from the Friday airstrikes on Syria to two. On Sunday, Israel launched new attacks targeting the central region, as well as the city of Homs and its surrounding areas. As a result, five Syrian soldiers were injured.
Mehqani is the second officer from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to have been killed in the Israeli attack that took place on Friday. Earlier, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had confirmed the death of one of its members in the Israeli bombardment on the outskirts of Damascus.
According to a statement carried out by Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, the slain member was identified as Milad Heidari, who was a military adviser and guard officer.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed that Tehran would “undoubtedly respond to this crime,” the statement said.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes targeting military centers and sites in Jabal al-Mana and Jabal al-Madaa, as well as missile depots “714” in the village of Harjleh, and a military point belonging to the “First Division” in the Kiswah area, located west of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Israel has been conducting attacks for several years against targets it claims are linked to Iran in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has increased since it started supporting President Bashar al-Assad after the uprising against him in 2011.
Iran maintains that its officers are providing advisory support to Syria at the invitation of Damascus. However, numerous members of the Revolutionary Guards, including senior officers, have been killed in Syria during the ongoing conflict.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
