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Israeli Attack on Iran’s Consulate in Syria: What Consequences Could Lie on the Horizon?

© AFP 2023 / LOUAI BESHARAEmergency and security personnel extinguish a fire at the site of strikes which hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024.
Emergency and security personnel extinguish a fire at the site of strikes which hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024. - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.04.2024
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi earlier slammed the attack as an "unfair crime" committed by the Jewish state, which he warned "won’t go unanswered." Russia, for its part, condemned the airstrike as "completely unacceptable."
There are at least three major factors proving that Israel’s airstrike on an Iranian consular mission in Syria on Monday is a blatant violation of international law, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, former UN under-secretary general and ex-Russian deputy foreign minister, told Sputnik.

First and foremost, "It is a strike on the territory of a neighboring state, with which, by the way, Israel is not at war, so it can be considered the Jewish state’s aggressive action," Ordzhonikidze said.

Secondly, he added, "Israel launched the strike on a building that is under diplomatic and consular immunity."
Last but not least, "Tel Aviv eliminated a general serving as a government official, which means that the Jewish state actually conducted a terrorist act," according to the former Russian deputy foreign minister.
FILE - In this April 14, 2018 file photo, Damascus skies erupt with surface to air missile fire as the U.S. launches an attack on Syria targeting different parts of the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.04.2024
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IRGC Commander Killed By Israeli Strike Near Iranian Embassy in Damascus

"Israel has essentially attacked two countries, Syria and Iran, with this single strike. This is teeming with danger in the sense that it's going to boomerang, and it could eventually snowball into a major clash," Ordzhonikidze warned.

When asked why he thinks Israel carries out such actions, Ordzhonikidze argued that Tel Aviv is sure that it will remain unpunished, namely, it is confident in its impunity.

"I believe this is a self-confidence of a power that has no serious grounds. They shouldn't think that way. After all, their property and their citizens could be attacked, not only in Israel but also in third countries [as a result of a possible tit-for-tat]," the former UN under-secretary general noted.

Dwelling on why Western countries are yet to sanction Tel Aviv for the attack, Ordzhonikidze suggested the West is currently trying "to formulate" its stance and that the zero reaction could be irrelevant and could mean "the most flagrant cover-up of aggressive actions."

On the whole, the collective West used to turn a blind eye to each and every action by Israel because "Western Europe doesn't have an independent foreign policy" and "they line up in sync with the command from Washington," according to the Russian diplomat.

Anti-Israel rally in Tehran - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.04.2024
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Iran Urges OIC to Take Action Against Israel Due to Attack on Iranian Consulate
On Monday evening, the Syrian Ministry of Defense reported an airstrike by the Israeli Air Force on the General Consulate of Iran in Damascus, which killed at least 11 people. The death toll includes seven officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, among them General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Hajizadeh.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that "the Zionist regime [Israel] must bear in mind that it won’t be able to achieve its sinister objectives with such inhumane measures" and that Tehran will respond in kind.
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow "strongly" condemns the attack on the Iranian consular mission in Syria, which is absolutely "unacceptable."
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