Iran warns Israel will pay after top IRGC commander killed in Syria airstrike

Iranian state-owned media confirmed the death of IRGC commander Seyed Razi Mousavi, identified as "a senior advisor" in Syria.

Senior IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi, killed in Syria on December 25, 2023 (photo credit: VIA WALLA/SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)
Senior IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi, killed in Syria on December 25, 2023
(photo credit: VIA WALLA/SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)

Iran vowed that Israel would "pay" for the killing of Sayyed Reza Mousavi, a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in an alleged Israeli airstrike in the vicinity of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday.

"Undoubtedly, the usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement read on state TV. "This action is another sign of frustration, helplessness, and inability of the occupying Zionist regime."

Local media outlets reported that explosions were heard in the area of Set Zaynab in the Damascus countryside.

Footage shared on social media showed a cloud of smoke near the Damascus International Airport, a site targeted frequently due to its use by Iranian proxies in the region.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday evening, warning that Tehran "reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place to the assassination" of Mousavi.

Tehran added that the suspected assassination "is a sinful and cowardly act and a sign of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime." Hezbollah released a statement on Monday night mourning the death of the IRGC official, whom the Lebanese terrorist organization called "one of the best brothers who worked to support the Islamic resistance in Lebanon for decades."

Funeral of members of Iran's IRGC who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Syria, in Tehran (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
Funeral of members of Iran's IRGC who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Syria, in Tehran (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

Top Iranian commander killed identified as Sayyed Razi Mousavi

Iranian state-owned media confirmed the death of IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi, identified as "a senior advisor" in Syria.

According to unconfirmed reports from Iranian opposition media, Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the of financing and transfer of logistics from Tehran to Iranian proxies in Syria.


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Mousavi was considered to have been close to Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force who was killed by a US drone in January 2020, according to Iranian media. Israeli media referenced Mousavi as the highest-profile targeted killing since Solemani.

No other casualties were reported in the alleged airstrike.

This is a developing story.