A suspected Israeli strike has destroyed the Iranian consulate building in Syria’s capital, Damascus, Syrian state media report.
Photos show smoke and dust rising from the flattened multi-storey structure in the west of the city.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps says seven of its members have been killed in the strike on the consulate building.
Senior commander Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy are among the dead, Iranian IRGC says in a statement.
The Israeli military says it does not comment on foreign media reports
The Syrian defence ministry said Israeli aircraft targeted the consulate building at about 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).
Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on Iranian-linked targets in Syria in the past few years, but rarely acknowledges the strikes.
What has the international reaction been to the strike in Syria?
Iran: The foreign ministry spokesperson said the country reserved the right to carry out reciprocal actions against the “aggressors” behind the attack in Damascus
Israel: The military said it would not comment on foreign media reports
Syria: Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad strongly condemned “this heinous terrorist attack”, adding that it had killed “a number of innocent people”
Lebanon: Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group based in Lebanon, warned of “punishment and revenge” over Monday’s strike
United States: A White House spokesperson told reporters that the US did not currently have “confirmation of either the target or the responsible party”.
