Mohammad Reza Zahedi

Mohammad Reza Zahedi (2 November 1960 – 1 April 2024) was an Iranian military officer. A senior figure within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he had previously commanded the IRGC Aerospace Force and the IRGC Ground Forces, and was commanding the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria at the time of his death.

In 2024, Zahedi was killed by an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he was the only Iranian to sit on the Shura, or guiding council, of Hezbollah. According to The Guardian, he was most likely a critical figure in coordinating Iran's relationship with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Assad government of Syria.

Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sweden, and the United States have designated either or both the IRGC and/or the Quds Force as terrorist organizations.

Military career
Zahedi joined the IRGC at the age of 19 and served as a mid-level officer during the Iran–Iraq War. He led the 44th Qamar Beni Hashem Division from 1983 to 1986 and later headed the 14th Imam Hossein Division from 1986 to 1991. He was also the commander of the Thar-Allah Headquarters in Tehran and had been the deputy of IRGC operations. He was briefly the commander of the IRGC Air Force in 2005. On 21 January 2006, he was appointed as the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces. From 2007 to 2015, he headed the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.

Quds Force
In 2008, Soleimani appointed Zahedi to the position of commander of the Quds Force's Lebanon Corps for a second time. This tenure lasted until his assassination by Israel in 2024. Iran's involvement in the Syrian Civil War on the side of the government of Bashar al-Assad has been a source of contention for Israel. Irani advisors and Iran-backed fighters have aided in tipping the balance in favor of Assad's government. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli media had frequently published images of him along with Saeed Izadi, a top Iranian military liaison to Palestinians who was initially rumored to have been killed in the same strike, as the main IRGC-Quds Force officials sought by the country.

Death
On 1 April 2024, Zahedi was killed by an Israeli airstrike that targeted the consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Syria's Damascus. Between five and seven people were killed in the airstrike, according to Syria's Iranian ambassador Hossein Akbari. The strike caused "massive destruction" to the consulate building as well as damage to neighbouring buildings, including the Canadian embassy. Zahedi is the most senior IRGC officer to have been killed since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani by the United States in January 2020. After his death, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran condemned the attacks and said that the country reserves the right to execute a "decisive response" against the "aggressors" behind the airstrike, though the Israeli government avoided issuing any statements claiming responsibility.

Retaliation
On 13 April 2024, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel; the Israeli government stated that it intercepted 99% of the Iranian projectiles, but the attack critically injured a child. On 19 April 2024, Israel attacked an Iranian air defense system in response to the drone and missile barrage a week prior.