In a pre-dawn attack on Friday, Israel destroyed a villa in the northwestern Syrian port city of Baniyas, killing three people. The slain included Reza Zarei, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy member, who was reportedly in Syria acting as one of the Iranian military advisers.
Eyewitnesses reported three large explosions in the area of Baniyas during the attack. Israel, as is customary, did not comment on the strike nor confirm their involvement. The explosions damaged a number of surrounding homes in the area.
Despite the lack of specific comments, Israel has struck Iranian advisers and other targets in Syria hundreds of times during the Syrian Civil War. Most recently, in January, five IRGC advisers were assassinated in Damascus.
Reports identified the other two slain as members of Hezbollah. Several additional people were reported wounded, though there is so far no indication that they were targets but were residents of the area that was being struck.
Iran continues to have an advisory team in Syria and replaces members of that team when they are killed. However, the numbers and ranks of the IRGC members sent to Syria has reportedly been scaled back because Israel is killing them so often.
Iran has had advisory teams in Syria for over a decade, offering advice and assistance during the protracted civil war. Israel has said they will not allow Iran to expand its presence in Syria, and have used that as a pretext for the repeated attacks.
Iran for its part has been a long-time ally of Syria, and it is deeply concerned that the Assad government survive still-resilient ISIS and al-Qaeda factions, which grew to prominence among the rebel movements of the civil war.
Even though the Assad government has invited Iran to act in an advisory capacity, and Israel professes its neutrality in the civil war, Israeli officials have long maintained that they actually would prefer ISIS on their border rather than an Iran-friendly government.
Another act of war.
“…Israel professes its neutrality in the civil war…” I did the math on that one… Israel = war.
A day of reckoning is unavoidable; The world will unite against brutal atrocities of Israeli Jews.
A chant that has been said for the last 75 years.
Recent for me. I never suspected a perverted underlying genocidal character of Israelis.
OK we killed some random terrorists in a Syrian port but one of them was an Iranian advisor, so that makes it OK. oh yeah, did we mention that everybody was a terrorist ?
“hi-yah” you stupid terrorists!
“hi-yah!” (you stupid bastards)
…. Chuck Norris
i actually met Chuck Norris once – he showed up in my firewood yard and pretended that he was interested in purchasing some firewood, of which i had plenty of. anyway, i recognized him right away and i asked him to punch me on my stomach. “oh why would you want me to punch you on your stomach?”
oh sir because then i can make a T-shirt that reads “I got my ass kicked by Chuck Norris” …. he said, “at no time will i ever punch you on your stomach but my friend here will be more than happy to punch you on your stomach.” i was all, oh shit i will decline this maneuver.
dudes you couldn’t make this shit up.
edit) = long story short, i do not have a T-shirt
OMG in the mid ‘9os I delivered some firewood to somebody who called themselves the “Howard family” …
i got there with a half cord of firewood = 1/2 pine wood and 1/2 oak wood.
because that was the very best way to have a fire in yalls fireplace.
OK i got there up on Mullholland ridge and i’ll be damned if it wasn’t a freakin Van Halen. he paid me the money for the firewood but his real concern was that i do not reveal where he lived. and to this day i have not told anybody where “Mr. Howard” lives.