Israeli airstrike kills IRGC advisor in Syria

Shafaq News / The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday the killing of one of the advisors of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), named Reza Zarei, in an Israeli airstrike in the Banyas area in northwestern Syria.

It indicated that three Iranian leaders were targeted in the coastal Banyas city.

Local sources reported hearing three powerful explosions, "which triggered panic among people."

Sky News Arabia quoted SOHR’s director Rami Abdul Rahman as saying, "The targeting of a group affiliated with Iranian militias on the outskirts of Banyas on the Syrian coast has several implications, and the targeted area is inherently opposed to Iranian presence, meaning that those elements are threatened anywhere within Syria."

"This targeting is the first of its kind in Banyas in three years," according to SOHR.

Against the backdrop of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, Israel has intensified its airstrikes in Syria, specifically targeting groups allied with Tehran, including Hezbollah.

Since Syria's civil war began in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes against its northern neighbor, primarily targeting pro-Iran forces.

The strikes have multiplied during the almost five-month war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel rarely comments on individual strikes but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in Syria.