Pro-Iran Telegram Outlets Eulogize IRGC Commander Killed In Damascus Airstrike; Sunni Jihadi Outlets Celebrate His Death

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On April 1, 2024, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, also known as Abu Mahdi, was killed in an airstrike that targeted a building adjacent to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.[1]

The channel accused Israel of carrying out the attack, claiming that Zahedi, who "oversaw the IRGC Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria," was "martyred" in an airstrike carried out the by the "Zionist regime".

The channel shared photos showing the wreckage caused by the airstrike and another illustrating that the target was a building adjacent to the embassy.

Telegram Channels Linked To Iraqi Militias Eulogize Zahedi

Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq also shared news of the airstrike, eulogizing the IRGC commander as a "martyr." Sabereen News also reported that several Iranian diplomats were killed in the attack, including Zahedi's assistant, Serdar Rahemi.[2]

The channel quoted a statement by the Iranian Ambassador to Syria as saying: "This is the reality of the Zionist entity, which does not respect international law. We renew our support for the resistance, and we are not concerned about any action taken by this occupying entity [i.e., Israel]."

Sunni Jihadis Celebrate Zahedi's Death

Syrian Telegram channels affiliated with Sunni jihadi groups celebrated the attack and gloated over the death of Zahedi.

"[He will have his Ramadan] Ifrar in hell. Finally, Reza Zahedi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Lebanon has perished. [The target was] a place adjacent to the Iranian Embassy, and there was a high-level meeting that included Iranian, Iraqi, Hizbullah [representatives]. Regardless of who was killed, this was a humiliating blow, as the embassy is a sovereign symbol and considered Iranian territory," read a post by the Telegram channel "Os Al-Sara' Fi Al-Sham".[3]

Celebrating news reports that said two other Iranian commanders were killed in the attack, "Jarblus News" wrote: "May Allah increase the death toll and bring forth more blessings."[4]

Another Syrian jihadi channel celebrated "the perishing of Brigadier General Hussein Amir Allah, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Lebanon," who was Zahedi's deputy.[5]

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