Israel Risks Dire Consequences After Two Deadly Airstrikes
Within 24 hours, two Israeli strikes occurred on targets that could not be more different. Both however, have the possibility of dramatically altering the course and consequence of the wars Israel is currently fighting.
The first strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on Monday, killed as many as 13 people—including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Israel was quick to argue that the attack was not on an official Iranian diplomatic facility but, rather, on a “military building of the Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.”
The strike on the building was justified by Israeli officials, who told Reuters that those targeted had “been behind many attacks on Israeli and American assets and had plans for future attacks.” Iran immediately condemned the strike and Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised to retaliate. Whether that retaliation results in a major escalation of Israel’s conflicts in the region is the question that loomed large in the wake of the aerial bombardment.