The Deadly Airstrike in Damascus: What You Need to Know
On Saturday, January 20, 2024, a series of explosions rocked the district of Mate in the center of Damascus, Syria. The target was a residential building where several Iranian military officials were meeting. The attack killed at least five people, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ espionage chief for Syria, General Sade Gumidzade, and his deputy. Iran blamed Israel for the strike and vowed to retaliate. Israel did not comment on the attack, but it has been widely accused of escalating its bombing campaign in Syria and Lebanon since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Here are some key facts and implications of the deadly airstrike in Damascus.
Who was killed in the airstrike?
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, six people were killed in the Israeli strike on the upmarket Mazzeh neighbourhood in Damascus. The Iranian news agency Mehr reported that four of them were members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite military force of Iran. The IRGC confirmed the deaths and identified one of them as General Sade Gumidzade, the head of its intelligence unit in Syria. The IRGC said that Gumidzade was responsible for “coordinating the resistance front” against Israel and its allies in the region. His deputy and three other IRGC members were also killed in the attack.
The Syrian state media reported that two civilians were also killed in the attack, and that Syrian air defences shot down most of the missiles over Damascus[³^][3]. However, an AFP correspondent at the scene said that the building was completely destroyed and that civil defence teams were searching for survivors under the rubble.
Why did Israel target the building?
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the airstrike, but it has repeatedly said that it will not allow Iran to expand its presence and influence in Syria. Iran is a close ally of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has sent thousands of troops and militia fighters to support his regime in the civil war that has been raging since 2011. Iran has also backed various armed groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, that are opposed to Israel.
Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria over the past decade, mainly targeting Iranian and Hezbollah positions and weapons shipments[. However, Israel has intensified its attacks since the start of its military offensive in Gaza on October 7, 2024, which was triggered by a surprise rocket barrage from Hamas. Israel has also struck targets in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel across the disputed border for months.
Israel’s goal is to prevent Iran and its allies from gaining a foothold on its northern and southern borders, and to disrupt their supply lines and capabilities. Israel also fears that Iran is developing nuclear weapons that could pose an existential threat to the Jewish state.
How did Iran react to the airstrike?
Iran strongly condemned the airstrike and accused Israel of being behind it. The spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said that the attack was a “clear violation of international law and human rights” and that Iran would “not remain silent” in the face of Israeli aggression. He also warned that Israel would “bear the consequences of its actions” and that Iran would “defend its national security and interests” in the region.
The IRGC also issued a statement, saying that the airstrike was a “cowardly and desperate” attempt by Israel to “cover up its failures and crimes” in Gaza and elsewhere. The IRGC said that the attack would only “strengthen the determination and resolve” of the Iranian forces and their allies to “confront the Zionist regime and its supporters”.
Iran has not specified what kind of retaliation it is planning, but it has several options to hit back at Israel. Iran could launch its own missiles or drones at Israeli targets, or use its proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, or Gaza to carry out attacks on Israel’s behalf. Iran could also try to assassinate Israeli officials or sabotage Israeli infrastructure, as it has done in the past.
What are the implications of the airstrike for the region?
The airstrike in Damascus is the latest in a series of incidents that have raised tensions and violence in the Middle East. The war in Gaza, which has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than 500,000, has shown no signs of abating, despite international efforts to broker a ceasefire. The border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have also increased the risk of a wider conflict in Lebanon, where the country is facing a severe economic and political crisis. The assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2023, which Iran blamed on Israel, has also strained the relations between Iran and the West, and jeopardized the prospects of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
The airstrike in Damascus could further escalate the situation and trigger a spiral of retaliation and counter-retaliation between Israel and Iran. The two countries have been engaged in a covert and proxy war for years, but they have avoided a direct confrontation so far. However, the increasing frequency and intensity of their attacks could push them to the brink of a full-scale war, which could have devastating consequences for the region and the world.
