Mohammed Reza Zahedi, the top commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, was assassinated in an airstrike along with his lieutenant and several other officers.

The strike targeted a building adjacent to the Iranian consulate in Damascus, reportedly used as a military command center for the IRGC.

Zahedi’s death marks the highest-ranking Iranian casualty since the current conflict began.

While Israel has not claimed responsibility, Iran and Hezbollah have accused Israel of escalating the conflict by targeting key figures.

Zahedi was responsible for coordinating with Hezbollah and smuggling weapons into Lebanon, The Jerusalem Post reported.

This attack, the first on the embassy compound, comes amid Israel’s ongoing campaign against Iranian and proxy targets in Syria and Gaza. Israel has declined to comment on the incident.

Written by B.C. Begley