Since 2013 Iran has maintained a
presence of its troops in Syria in response to the Syrian civil war, as Syria is a crucial ally of Iran. Additionally, it has been involved in training and funding paramilitary forces from
Hezbollah, along with foreign militias from
Iraq and
Afghanistan, not only in Syria but also in neighboring
Lebanon.[13] Since the outbreak of the
Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah assets within the country.[14]
With the onset of the
Israel–Hamas war in October 2023, Israel has increased the intensity of its attacks on Syria.[15] From 12 to 22 October 2023, Israel launched at least three attacks on airports in Syria, particularly on
Damascus and
Aleppo.[16][17] Notably, Israel carried out the assassination of
Razi Mousavi, a senior Iranian general, in the Syrian capital of Damascus on 25 December 2023, and Brigadier General
Sadegh Omidzadeh, an intelligence officer with the IRGC Quds Force, on 20 January 2024.[18][19][20]
Attack
According to Iranian, Syrian, and regional officials, on 1 April 2024, Iranian military commanders convened a "top-level meeting" inside Iran's embassy complex in Damascus in the belief that they were protected by "international norms shielding diplomatic missions". An Iranian source said that these commanders, which included General
Mohammad Reza Zahedi who, according to Iranian officials, was in charge of Iran's covert operation in Syria and Lebanon, were in Damascus to discuss "operational logistics and coordination".[21] According to Iranian officials, they were meeting with members from
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group active in the
Gaza Strip.[22]
That day, the Iranian consulate annex building in the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Iranian ambassador Hossein Akbari alleged that the consulate building "was targeted with six missiles from
Israeli F-35 warplanes".[23]The Guardian stated that Israeli warplanes were responsible for the attack.[24]The New York Times (NYT) stated that four Israeli officials anonymously confirmed Israeli responsibility for the attack.[25] Various other media outlets did not definitively attribute the attack to Israel, and the Israeli government refused to comment on the matter.[26][27][28][29]
The suspected primary target of the attack was the Quds Force commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed in the attack. According to The Guardian, Zahedi was a critical figure in the relationship between Iran and Hezbollah.[30][31]NYT reported that an anonymous source from the
Revolutionary Guards said that the strike targeted a meeting between Iranian intelligence officials and Palestinian militants, including leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who were discussing the war in Gaza.[32]
Footage and photos from the consulate area after the attack showed extensive damage, fire, and smoke.[23] Iranian media reported that the building had been completely destroyed and that the ambassador and his family, who were housed in the embassy next door, were unharmed.[33]
The unused Canadian embassy building on the other side of the consular building was also damaged in the attack, with at least some of its windows destroyed. It has been closed since 2012 because of the Syrian civil war, but it is still owned by the Canadian government.[34]
Casualties
Sixteen were killed in total, including seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldiers, five Iran-backed militiamen, one Hezbollah fighter, one Iranian advisor, and two civilians.[3][4]
In addition to Zahedi, casualties included Zahedi's deputy Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and five Iranian officials: Hossein Aman Elahi, Sayid Mehdi Jalalati, Ali Agha Babaei, Sayid Ali Salehi Roozbahani, and Mohsen Sedaghat.[30] Zahedi was the most senior IRGC officer to be killed since the
assassination of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. in January 2020.[35] According to Bloomberg the IRGC command wing in Syria was eliminated in the strike. [36]
Analysis
Journalists
Peter Beaumont and Emma Graham-Harrison of The Guardian wrote that the Israeli strike was a miscalculation that had "bulldozed through every
red line to attack a location that Tehran maintains was tantamount to attacking Iranian soil."[37]
Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the
Chatham House think tank, stated that the Damascus attack and the "breach" of the Vienna convention was "the straw that broke the camel's back."[37]
Legality
Diplomatic premises, like homes and schools, are considered "civilian objects" under
international law.
Diplomatic buildings are entitled to further protections from attack or other interference by the host country under international customary law, codified in the
1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the
1963 Convention on Consular Relations.[38] However, the responsibilities under the Convention only apply to the host country, in this case Syria, with the Convention saying nothing about attacks by third states in foreign countries.[39][32]
A UN-commissioned panel of experts on international law consisting of
Ben Saul, Morris Tidball-Binz,
Javaid Rehman, Livingstone Sewanyana, and Cecilia M. Bailliet wrote that Israel had provided no legal justification for the attack, and had failed to report it to the
United Nations Security Council. Therefore, in their view, it violated Article 2(4) banning recourse to force against another state. They also issued a warning that the Israeli officials involved in the strike might have committed crimes.[40] The subsequent Iranian retaliation was also, in their view, prohibited under international law, since self-defense is only justified to deter continuing armed attacks, and the strike on the Iranian Embassy had ended 12 days earlier.[41]
Aurel Sari, a professor of international law at
Exeter University, argued that as a third state, Israel "is not bound by the law of diplomatic relations with regard to Iran's Embassy in Syria,"[32] however "unless Israel was able to justify the airstrike as an act of self-defense" it would be in violation of
Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. Whether self-defense can justify an attack on the territory of a third country is a subject of academic debate.[32]
Russia requested the
UN Security Council to discuss the strike.[81] A statement condemning the attack was drafted by Russia to be issued by the Security Council, but the Western member states opposed the issuance of any statement.[82][83][84][85] During the briefing in the United Nations Security Council, the representatives of many countries (such as
Ecuador,
Guyana,
Slovenia,
South Korea, and
Switzerland) noted that any attack on diplomatic and consular premises violates the
Charter of the United Nations as well as the
1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the
1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. They also expressed concern that the incident could further escalate the regional conflict. The representative of
Japan only expressed concern, and the representative of the
United Kingdom noted the importance of "respect ... for diplomatic premises", but also criticized Iran.[42] The spokesman of the
United States National Security Council only stated that the US was not involved and had no prior knowledge of the attack.[86] Israel had notified the US in advance that it would be operating in Syria, but did not identify the target.[87] The Representative of Russia criticized the statements made by the US and others including France, considering them to be
double standard.[42]
United States officials said Israel had notified the US in advance that it would be operating in Syria, but did not identify the target. A
Pentagon spokesperson said Israel had provided no advance warning of the strike.[87]
The Israeli military spokesman claimed that the building is neither a consulate nor an embassy, but a military building of Quds forces "disguised as a civilian structure in Damascus".[95] Israel told the U.S. that if a retaliatory attack by Iran would prompt a robust response from Israel.[96][97]
Seven Israeli embassies were evacuated in response to the potential threat of an Iranian retaliatory attack, after Iran publicly blamed Israel and vowed retaliation.[98] The IDF deployed GPS jamming systems within Tel Aviv to safeguard against potential aerial attacks by Iran.[99] Initial U.S. intelligence anticipated a significant attack on U.S. or Israeli assets as soon as the week of 8–12 April.[100]
Iran
In several cities across Iran, including the capital,
Tehran, as well as
Tabriz and
Isfahan, large crowds of protesters gathered waving Palestinian and Iranian flags and demanding revenge.[101][102] The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed a harsh response to the attack. Khamenei's political advisor
Ali Shamkhani, said that the United States remains directly responsible.[103] Iran also sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council, saying it "reserves its legitimate and inherent right to respond decisively".[104] Syria's Foreign Minister condemned the attack, calling it a
terrorist attack.[105]
On 5 April 2024, Iran told the United States to "step aside" as it prepared for retaliation against Israel.[106] On 13 April 2024, the
IRGC Navyboarded the Portuguese container ship MSC Aries in the Strait of Hormuz via helicopter. It was redirected to Iranian territory. The MSC Aries is partially owned by Israeli businessman
Eyal Ofer and operated by his company,
Zodiac Maritime.[107]
Later, on 13 April 2024, the
Iranian military launched an air attack, firing more than 300
standoff weapons at Israel, including at least 170
aerial drones, 30
cruise missiles, and 120
ballistic missiles. The attack, which constituted the largest single drone attack in history, was described as a success by Iran[108] and as a failure by Israel, the latter saying that its air defenses, buttressed by those of allies, destroyed almost all the incoming weapons before they could reach their targets.
^Article 22 of the Convention on Diplomatic Relations states:'“The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission. The receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity.”Those protections remain in force even if the embassy is used for criminal or military purposes. The receiving state can break off diplomatic relations, or revoke the diplomatic immunity of specific individuals and eject them from the country, but it must still “respect and protect” the embassy buildings and their contents even after the mission has closed.
Israel bombed an Iranian Embassy complex. Is that allowed?Archived 2 April 2024 at the
Wayback MachineNew York Times2 April 2024
^'The experts warned that Israeli military personnel and civilian officials responsible for the attack may also have committed crimes under an international counter-terrorism treaty of 1971, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons. “It is an offence to violently attack the official premises or private accommodation of a diplomat where it is likely to endanger them. Iran, Israel and Syria are all parties to the treaty and all have criminal jurisdiction over such offences,” they recalled.'
^Toàn, Vũ (6 April 2024).
"Vietnam condemns attack on Iranian embassy in Syria". VietnamPlus. Hanoi:
Vietnam News Agency.
Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024. Vietnam condemns the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria. All the buildings of diplomatic representative and consular offices must be respected and protected according to international law.