People gather at the site of an Israeli missile attack targeting the building of the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria, April 1, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Iran has blamed Israel for a deadly airstrike on its embassy compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus, while international communities slam the attack for violating international law and sovereignty as well as further escalating regional tensions amid the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

On Monday, missile strikes hit the consulate building next to the Iranian embassy, reportedly killing about 10 people, including senior military advisers.

According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, two of the dead were identified as Mohammad Reza Zahedi, 64, a commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. They added that Zahedi led the Quds special operations force.

This is the first attack on Iran’s diplomatic compound and the second alleged Israeli airstrike on Syria in just two days after two civilians were injured in an attack targeting several military points on March 31, as reported by Xinhua News Agency, citing the Syrian Defense Ministry. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad that Israel’s alleged attack on Iran's consulate in Syria “is a violation of all international obligations”, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.

In a phone call with Mekdad on April 1, Amir-Abdollahian added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has completely lost his mental balance” because of the “consecutive failures of the Israeli regime in Gaza”. In the same conversation, Mekdad also strongly condemned Israel’s “aggression”. 

These horrific crimes and cowardly terrorist attacks are a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises. Zahra Ershadi, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN 

The Syrian foreign minister visited the scene in Damascus following the missile strike and stressed that the attack would not affect Syrian-Iranian relations, Xinhua News Agency reported. 

In an April 1 letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and this month’s UN Security Council President Vanessa Frazier, Ambassador and Charge d’ Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Zahra Ershadi called upon the council to “take all necessary measures” to address “this egregious violation”.

Ershadi also urged for the prevention of future acts of aggression that “jeopardize the security and safety of diplomatic missions” and to “ensure that those responsible for such criminal acts are swiftly brought to justice”.

“These horrific crimes and cowardly terrorist attacks are a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” Ershadi’s letter read.

“Considering the far-reaching international implications of such a reprehensible act which can exacerbate tensions in the region and potentially ignite more conflict involving other nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran urges the Security Council to condemn this unjustified criminal act and terrorist attack perpetrated by the Israel regime in the strongest terms possible,” she added. 

Among those who came to Iran’s defense were its Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with both countries issuing statements condemning the Damascus embassy attack. 

The ministry of foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia expressed its “categorical rejection of targeting diplomatic facilities for any justification, and under any pretext”, which it said was “a violation of international diplomatic laws and the rules of diplomatic immunity”.

Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs echoed a similar view, saying it considered the attack a “flagrant violation” of international agreements and diplomatic norms that “criminalize attacks on the premises of diplomatic missions”. 

Qatar also called on the need to provide protection for diplomatic and consular missions under the rules of international law. 

The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan and Russia also condemned the attack. 

Though neither the Israeli Prime Minister’s office nor the Israel Defense Forces has yet commented on the Damascus strike, The New York Times cited unnamed Israeli officials as confirming Israel was behind the attack.

Iranian Ambassador to Syria the consulate has been serving the Iranian people for 30 years, with the ambassador's residence located on the upper floor. This building is not newly constructed, been around for some years. All the Syrian residents know that it is the consulate of the Iranian embassy.

Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the West Bank and Gaza, noted on her X account, formerly Twitter, that on the day Israel "bombed a foreign embassy in a third country", it also killed World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers and accused Israel of "crossing every possible red line, still with full impunity".

“The Israeli attack against the Iranian embassy in Damascus is considered as a violation against the sovereignty of both Iran and Syria, as the land of embassy is considered a part of Iranian territory according to international law,” Abdalfatah Asqool, an international law lecturer at the University of Palestine, told China Daily.

“In addition, and according to International Humanitarian Law, this Israeli attack is classified as a crime of aggression,” he added.

Ali Vaez, director of the International Crisis Group’s Iran Project, told Al Jazeera that “Israel is trying to do everything in its power to expand the conflict.” 

Iranian Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari told the media that the consulate has been serving the Iranian people for 30 years, with the ambassador's residence located on the upper floor. This building is not newly constructed, been around for some years. All the Syrian residents know that it is the consulate of the Iranian embassy. 

During protest, an Iranian citizen told the media that Israel violated Iran's territory, which is a terrible act. “We all hope that Iran can respond more forcefully than before.”    

Another Iranian protester said all of Israel's actions are coordinated with the United States as the US undoubtedly was supporting Israel in such attacks.   

The Israeli attack on Iran's Damascus consulate section demonstrates the willingness of Israel to escalate the conflict in Gaza, said Jawaid Iqbal, chairman of the Department of West Asian and North African Studies at Aligarh Muslim University in India.

Israel has lost in the court of public opinion and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to the "global flood of a billion Muslims" as a force that has undermined the popularity of Israel, he noted.

Given this ideological isolation, Israel has become more brazen in its military aggressiveness, receiving full support from Euro-Atlantic countries, but can draw attention to the illegality of Israeli actions and bring about international condemnation.

Against the background of the political opposition to the Israeli “genocide” in Gaza, any military action by Iran and the Axis of Resistance will enjoy greater moral legitimacy than it had enjoyed before, said Iqbal.

The Arab world expects Iran to be more concrete in its opposition to Israel and this sentiment will increase as Israel prepares for the ground invasion of Rafah, he noted. “Thus, the possibility of a regional war is dependent on the weight given by Iran to public opinion and the desperate necessity of a military confrontation,” he said.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com