Iran announced Tuesday that two officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were killed in an IDF attack early Monday in Syria.
IRGC officers Namahi Martada Saidanjad and Ihsan Karblai Pur were both killed in the attack, according to KAN News 11’s Arab Affairs reporter Roi Kais, and Abu Ali Express.
Syria: Israeli Air Force Attacked Near Damascus
Israel was attacking Iranian military targets in the Damascus area, state-run Syrian television reported.
באיראן מדווחים באופן חריג: שני לוחמים במשמרות המהפכה נהרגו בתקיפה הישראלית אתמול לפנות בוקר באזור דמשק pic.twitter.com/to3EEmKeGp
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) March 8, 2022
Syrian sources also reported in late February that Israel had attacked targets in the Quneitra area, using surface-to-surface missiles.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Israel has emphasized the importance of maintaining security ties with Moscow, with whom the IDF coordinates its attacks on Iranian efforts to transfer arms to its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, in Syrian territory.
Iran Launching Combat Drones at Israel
Israeli military officials announced Sunday night that two F35 fighter jets in March last year intercepted two Shahed-197 drones that were carrying arms to Gaza from Iran.
The drones, produced by Iranian defense firms, have a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour and a wingspan of seven meters. They’re capable of carrying a load of dozens of kilograms, according to the IDF.
One of the drones was carrying pistols.
The IDF said it was the first time its F35 jets were used to take down a drone.
In May 2021, the IDF shot down a Sammad-type drone that was launched from Iraq. The UAV, downed near Beit She’an in northern Israel, is capable of carrying a payload of 115 kilograms.
In February 2018, Iran launched a Shahed-141 UAV from the T-4 airbase in Syria. That drone, which has a wingspan of four to six meters and can fly 185 kilometers per hour, was shot down by IDF combat helicopters, Israel said.
