An official of the paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard was killed in an explosion near the Syrian capital Damascus, it was announced today on its website, and Israel was accused of the murder.
As stated, Colonel Dawood Jafari, who worked for the Revolutionary Guard, was killed, and Israel was warned that it would be held accountable for that crime.
Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's 11-year civil war and has sent thousands of pro-Iranian fighters across the region to fight alongside Assad's forces.
Dozens of Iranian fighters have been killed in that war, but Tehran has long maintained that it has only a military advisory role in Syria.
Israeli officials have previously said they will prevent the consolidation of Iranian influence in Syria, especially in the south near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The country has carried out hundreds of strikes against targets inside parts of Syria controlled by the government in Damascus, but rarely comments on them.
Israel, however, has confirmed that it is targeting bases of extremist organizations allied to Iran, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Assad's forces.
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