'Israeli embassies are legitimate targets', says Khamenei adviser

Yahya Safavi, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and special military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, stated that in response to the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran would retaliate by targeting Israeli diplomatic missions.

Blaming Israel for the strike, Safavi stressed that Iran considers military confrontation with Israel as both legal and its legitimate right, according to the Ayatollah regime's perspective.

On April 1, a strike hit a building in the center of Damascus, claimed by Iran as its consulate. Tehran holds Israel responsible for the attack, a view also echoed by foreign media outlets.

The attack resulted in the deaths of two generals and five IRGC officers, including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Quds Force commander in Syria and Lebanon. Zahedi was known as one of the key organizers behind the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2024.