Emergency services work at a building hit by an air strike in Damascus, Syria, April 1, 2024. An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syrian and Iranian officials said. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN/JERUSALEM - Iran's Vice-President for Legal Affairs Mohammad Dehqan said on Wednesday the country would file a lawsuit against Israel for its deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Dehqan made the remarks in an address to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, while elaborating on Iran's legal measures against Israel for its missile strike that leveled the consular building in the Syrian capital Damascus, resulting in at least 14 fatalities.

Seven Iranians, including a veteran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria commander and his deputy, were killed in Damascus 

He said the Israeli attack violated international law and Iran is currently making the legal assessments and will soon provide information regarding its legal decisions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Tuesday that the death toll from the airstrike had risen to 14, including eight Iranians, five Syrians and one member of Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, noting that the death toll is likely to rise due to serious injuries. 

Israel's military announced Wednesday that it was reinforcing its aerial defense system with reserve soldiers amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.

In a statement, the military said "it was decided to increase manpower and draft reserve soldiers to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Aerial Defense Array," adding the move followed a situational assessment.

On Tuesday, Iran vowed retaliation against the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria on Monday night, killing seven Iranians, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, and his deputy.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, which stoked further escalation in the Middle East.