Israel kills 11 senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, reports say
Eleven senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in Syria were killed in an overnight Israeli attack on Damascus International Airport, the Saudi Al-Hadath network reported Friday, citing sources.
According to the report, most of the officers who made up the senior command of the Revolutionary Guard and other pro-Iranian militias in eastern Syria were killed in the attack.
The Saudi channel also claimed that the commander of Iran’s forces in eastern Syria, Norat Rasheed, was injured in the attack. The report further claimed that the attack was aimed against a delegation that had landed at the airport and met with other senior figures.
Another strike took place on Thursday. According to the Syrian army, Israel attacked targets in the south of the country as well as the Damascus airport area, but air defense systems managed to shoot down most of the missiles. It was also said that the attack left destruction and two Syrian soldiers were injured.
Iran on Friday executed four people and sentenced several others to prison for having alleged links with Israel’s Mossad security service, local media reported.
Mizan, the news website affiliated with the country’s judiciary, said three men and one woman were executed Friday morning. It identified the men as Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo and the woman as Nasim Namazi. The report didn’t say how the deaths were carried out, but Iran usually applies hanging.
The four were charged with kidnapping several Iranian security forces to extract intelligence information, Mizan reported. They were also accused of setting fire to cars and apartments of some of Iran’s intelligence agents.
The report also said several others — working with the same group — were each sentenced to 10 years in jail, without giving further details.
Iran and Israel have long accused each other of spying. Iran has vowed to destroy Israel.
Israel Hayom contributed to this story.