Initial Summary:

Location of Incident: Iranian Consulate in Damascus
Date: April 1, 2024
Time: 17:00 local time in Damascus
Victims: 16 people reportedly killed; the Syrian Archive confirmed the names of 13 people, including two civilians (a woman and her son) who were reported to have been killed.
Type of Incident: Airstrike believed to be carried out by combat aircraft
Weapon Used: Unidentified
Potential Perpetrator: Israeli Air Force

Introduction:

On April 1, 2024, at approximately 17:00 local time, the Iranian consulate building adjacent to the Iranian embassy, located on Martyr Fayyaz Mansour Street in the Mezzeh area of Damascus, was hit by an airstrike involving six to seven missiles from combat aircraft suspected to belong to the Israeli Air Force.

The attack resulted in the complete destruction of the building, damage to surrounding structures and vehicles present in the area, as well as the deaths and injuries of individuals of Iranian, Lebanese, and Syrian nationalities, with reports indicating a total of 16 casualties, including two civilians. The Syrian Archive confirmed the names of 13 individuals, including two civilians (a woman and her son) who are reported to have been killed in the attack.

Since the fall of the Assad government in Syria, a number of the sources that were archived and analysed as part of this investigation have been taken offline. The Syrian Archive has annotated where materials are no longer available online but have been preserved in our archives; if you would like to request access to the archived materials, please email requests@syrianarchive.org.

About the Impact Site:

The consulate building that was attacked (the impact site) is situated next to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the capital, Damascus, in the middle of Martyr Fayyaz Mansour Street - locally known as Mezzeh Highway.

Satellite Image from Google Earth (Airbus) on April 28, 2023: This image shows Umayyad Square, the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, and the Damascus-Beirut Highway. The markings were placed by the Syrian Archive on the image captured on July 12, 2024.

Surrounding the consulate building are the Canadian Embassy in Damascus, several public institutions (including the Engineers' Syndicate), service facilities (Al-Razi Hospital and the MTN telecommunications center), banks (Sham Bank, Bemo Saudi Fransi Bank, and Byblos Bank), as well as surrounding residential buildings.

Satellite Image from Google Earth (Airbus) on April 28, 2023: This image shows the impact site and its location within an important area in the heart of Damascus. The markings were placed by the Syrian Archive on the image captured on July 11, 2024.

According to available information online, the consulate building has four floors: the first and second are occupied by the Iranian consulate, the third floor is home to the Iranian ambassador in Syria, and the fourth floor is occupied by a Syrian civilian family.

What Happened and When:

At 17:00 (post now offline, but archived) on April 1, 2024, a building housing the Iranian consulate was subjected to an airstrike by missiles believed to be fired from F-35 combat aircraft belonging to the Israeli Air Force. The Al-Alam news channel reported a statement from the Iranian ambassador in Damascus, Hussein Akbari, claiming that the attack on the consulate building involved six missiles launched from Israeli combat aircraft that came from "occupied Syrian Golan." The attack reportedly resulted in the deaths and injuries of embassy workers and their security personnel. The Iranian UN deputy envoy, Zahra Arshadi, stated that "seven missiles were fired at the Iranian consulate building in Damascus."

Media outlets and social media pages published images and videos showing the entrance to the impact site, identifying it as the Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran; as well as a picture displaying Qassem Soleimani's image on the outer gate of the bombed building.

Screenshot from Sky News Arabia website published on April 4, 2024 showing the sign identifying the location as the Iranian Consulate, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

First Reports:

The first reports that the Syrian Archive was able to access via social media were a news item (post now offline, but archived) on the Telegram channel of ‘fighter Waseem Al-Issa’ at 17:00 local time on April 1, 2024, announcing "an aerial aggression on Damascus."

One minute later, the ‘Syrian Military Capabilities’ channel on Telegram reported two news items: the first about hearing explosion sounds in the skies over Damascus, and the second about the launch of air defense missiles in Damascus (posts now offline, but archived).

The channel ‘fighter Waseem Al-Issa’ also published at 17:01 on April 1, 2024 (post now offline, but archived) that explosion sounds were still being heard in Damascus. Additionally, the Sam News account on Telegram reported that the Syrian air defenses had responded to what was claimed to be an Israeli attack on Damascus.

Screenshot from Sam News channel at 17:01 on April 1, 2024, reporting air defenses responding to an Israeli attack on Damascus. This was captured by the Syrian Archive on July 8, 2024.

At 17:07, the Sam News channel on Telegram published images showing thick smoke rising from a location in Damascus. The Syrian Archive identified the location of one of the images by matching it with prominent landmarks in satellite imagery at coordinates 33.503924, 36.260478.

Image from the Sam News channel on Telegram showing smoke in an area near the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The orange markers show the Al-Zahra Mosque at coordinates 33.504651, 36.2570955 and the Engineers Syndicate building at coordinates 33.504742, 36.260315. Image marked and captured by the Syrian Archive on July 8, 2024.

Top right image of the Engineers Syndicate building at coordinates 33.504742, 36.260315, top center image of Al-Zahra Mosque at coordinates 33.504651, 36.2570955, markers and images placed by the Syrian Archive on the Google Earth (Airbus) satellite image from April 28, 2023, image taken by the Archive on July 08, 2024.

Additionally, a Facebook account posted at 17:04 on the same day, showing images of smoke in the sky, claiming it was the result of "air defenses intercepting hostile targets over Damascus."

Screenshot published at 17:04 on April 1, 2024 shows an image claimed to be of anti-aircraft defenses in the skies of Damascus, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 8, 2024.

At 17:09, Sam News published a report on Telegram stating that the site of the attack is a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

Screenshot published on Sam News channel at 17:09 on April 1, 2024 shows the first report identifying the targeted location, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

At 17:14, the Sam News channel published the first images clearly showing the impact site next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

Screenshot published on Sam News channel at 17:14 on April 1, 2024 shows the first images of the impact site next to the Iranian embassy, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

Six minutes later, the same channel published the first video of the impact site, showing the area next to the Iranian embassy and the initial response operations.

Screenshot from a video published on Sam News channel at 17:20 on April 1, 2024 shows the impact site next to the Iranian embassy and the initial response operations, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

Reports continued to be posted online, including a Facebook account that later posted an image that appears to show the time it was taken, dated April 1, 2024, at 17:01.

Screenshot from a Facebook post showing the initial moments at the impact site; the orange square indicates the camera data showing the time as 17:01 on April 1, 2024, marked and captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

News channels, websites, Facebook pages, Telegram channels, and accounts on X published numerous videos and images depicting the first moments of the attack.

The official SANA news agency quoted a Syrian military source stating that "around 17:00 on April 1, 2024, the Iranian consulate building in Damascus was bombed," claiming it was due to "airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force."

A comparison of two images posted on social media, taken immediately after the attack, allowed for the analysis of shadows and the sun's position using the SunCalc tool. This analysis supported the claims regarding timing made in the videos and other open-source media reports. The positions of the sun and shadows in both images are consistent with the expected positions and lengths of shadows on that day around 17:05 local time in Damascus, according to SunCalc.

Image taken in the initial moments of the attack, posted at 17:20 on April 1, 2024, and analysed by the Syrian Archive team to assess timing based on shadows. This image was marked and captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Screenshot showing the position of the shadow and sun around 17:05 local time in Damascus on April 1, 2024, using the SunCalc tool, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

At 17:34, the Tasnim News Agency's Persian channel on Telegram (an Iranian Revolutionary Guards-affiliated media outlet) shared two videos depicting the initial moments of the attack, accompanied by news of an Israeli strike on a building next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

Screenshot published on Tasnim News Agency channel at 17:34 on April 1, 2024 showing the first news in Persian of the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 18, 2024.

The first official joint statement from Syria and Iran came at 18:33 local time during a live broadcast on the Facebook page of the Syrian News Channel. This followed a meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister in the Assad government Faisal Mekdad and Iranian Ambassador Hussein Akbari, during which they accused Israel of carrying out the attack on the Iranian consulate building.

Screenshot from the Syrian News Channel Facebook page shows the time of the first official statement from the Syrian Foreign Minister and the Iranian Ambassador in Damascus, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 17, 2024.

Analysis of online reports regarding the incident and its timing, along with statements from government officials in Iran and Syria, as well as shadow and sun analysis using the SunCalc tool, indicates that the attack on the Iranian consulate on the Mezzeh highway occurred between 17:00 and 17:05 local time on April 1, 2024.

Geographical Location:

Coordinates: 33.503924, 36.260478

The Syrian Archive was able to determine the geographical location shown in open-source materials by comparing prominent landmarks from a pre-incident image of the building with photos and videos taken after the attack.

On the top right is an image of the impact site before the incident, while on the top left is an image of the impact site after the incident. At the bottom is a screenshot from Google Earth Pro (Airbus) on April 28, 2023, showing the impact location at coordinates 33.503924, 36.260478, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 11, 2024.

Destruction:

Images and videos shared on social media show the destruction of a four-story building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, alleged to house the consulate and the residence of the Iranian ambassador, as well as the home of civilians, the Mriden family.

Image from a post by Mohammed Al-Halou on Facebook shows the completely destroyed building, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

Image from a post by Mohammed Al-Halou on Facebook shows the completely destroyed building, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

Image from the Al-Manar website (a Hezbollah-owned media outlet) of the Iranian consulate and embassy in Damascus, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

A satellite image published by the English-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, sourced from Reuters, shows the complete destruction of the building on April 2, 2024.

At the top is a satellite image published by Asharq Al-Awsat, sourced from Reuters, on April 2, 2024, at coordinates 33.503924, 36.260478, showing the complete destruction of the building. At the bottom is a satellite image of the same building taken on April 28, 2023, both captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

An image of the building created by the Syrian Archive based on a photo posted on Facebook of the site before the attack compared with a photo taken moments after the attack showing the building completely destroyed.

The attack caused fires and shattered glass in cars that were parked in front of the consulate building or passing by on the street facing it; in addition to damage to homes, shattering of window glass and destruction of home furniture in the buildings surrounding and opposite the consulate building.

Screenshot from a video shows flames engulfing one of the cars in front of the building that was attacked, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Image shows damaged cars in front of the Iranian consulate building, captured by the Syrian Archive on November 26, 2024.

Image shows damaged cars in front of the Iranian consulate building, captured by the Syrian Archive on November 26, 2024.

Screenshot from a video shows cars that were damaged as a result of the attack, captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Image shows the damage to cars in front of the consulate building as a result of the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

Screenshot from a video shows the damage and shattered glass in the Engineers' Syndicate building across the road from the attack site, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Image shows the damage caused by the attack in the building behind the impact site, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Two screenshots from videos on Facebook show the aftermath of the destruction. The Syrian Archive identified their locations by comparing prominent features in the homes overlooking the attack site from the rear; captured on July 12, 2024.

Image shows the impact on a real estate office adjacent to the consulate as a result of the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

Image shows the impact on the building adjacent to the consulate as a result of the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

A video published by the pro-Assad-government newspaper Al-Watan claimed that the attack caused damage inside the embassy building adjacent to the consulate, showing shattered glass in two windows on the western facade of the embassy building.

Screenshot from a video on Facebook shows damage inside the Iranian embassy building, claimed to be a result of the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Screenshot from a video on Facebook shows shattered glass in two windows on the western facade of the Iranian embassy, claimed to be a result of the attack, captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on July 12, 2024.

Victims:

News websites, including the Iranian sites Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) and Al-Alam, reported the number of fatalities in the attack to be 13, including seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. In a report published on April 3, 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated the death toll from the attack to be 16 people: two civilians, and 14 military personnel, including seven leaders of the Revolutionary Guard, who were commanders of the ‘Resistance Axis’ operations room. The Al-Hurra website reported on April 3, 2024 that among the dead were also five Syrians and a Lebanese belonging to Hezbollah.

The Syrian Archive cross-referenced the names of persons claimed to have been killed in the attack, using social media, advanced name searches regarding their civilian or military affiliations, obituaries from the victims' families, and official channels. The Archive was able to match the names of 13 individuals, including two civilians from the Mriden family in Damascus, a mother and her son.

Chart created by the Syrian Archive showing the number and nature of fatalities from the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Civilians:

In an obituary written by Abdalhadi Mriden on his Facebook page, who claimed to be the cousin of the victim Najy Irfan Mriden, Abdalhadi mourned both his cousin and their mother, stating they died in the explosion on Mazzeh Highway. Abdalhadi Mriden identified the deceased as follows:

Najy bin Irfan Mriden, born in 1961, an electrical engineer, graduate of Franklin University, Ohio, USA.
Kamila bint Muhammad Yaseen Alyassini, born in 1943, a member of the board of the Dar Al-Saada Elderly Care Home in Damascus, with charitable works and activities.

Additionally, the account of Mohamad Alyassini on Facebook published news about the deaths of Kamila Alyassini and her son Najy, claiming that she was his aunt. He also shared an obituary for them on his page, showing an accompanying post stating that they were killed in the attack on the Iranian consulate in the Mazzeh area.

Image showing the obituary for both Kamila Alyassini and Najy Mriden posted on Mohamad Alyassini's Facebook page on April 3, 2024, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

Social media pages including the Dar Al-Saada Elderly Care Home, where Kamila Alyassini worked, mourned the two victims and emphasized Alyassini’s humanitarian work.

Screenshot of the obituary for Kamila Alyassini by the Dar Al-Saada Elderly Care Home posted on April 2, 2024, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

The website of the Assad government's Ministry of Information published a statement (post now offline, but archived) from the Ministry of Health claiming that 13 people were injured, some of them critically.

Those injured included people outside of the consulate at the time of the attack. A video showing the initial moments of the response on April 1, 2024 (confirmed by the Syrian Archive to be filmed at the Iranian consulate's location) depicted the rescue by a Red Crescent team of a civilian inside his private car, where he was beside the consulate building at the moment of the attack. The Syria Post page on Facebook also claimed that a person named Lubna Maalla sustained severe injuries while passing by the building at the time of the attack.

Screenshot from a video showing the rescue of one of the injured in the initial moments of the response, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 23, 2024.

Armed group members:

Various sources reported the deaths of 11 military personnel in the attack on the Iranian consulate, including seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Sources included the Tasnim channel on Telegram (the Tasnim News Agency claims to be semi-official and is associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard).

Photo collage from Hamshahri Online showing the casualties of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the attack, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

The following are the seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard:

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahidi: One of the highest-ranking leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon. According to a report from Al Jazeera, "Brigadier General Zahidi—also known by his codename 'Haj Hassan Mahdavi'—is considered the second highest military rank in the Quds Force to be killed in an Israeli raid on Iranian facilities in Syria." According to Al-Alam, "Brigadier General Zahidi served in the Quds Force from 2008 to 2016 and was the commander of the Quds Force … in Syria and Lebanon." According to Sawt al-Asimah, Zahidi was the only non-Lebanese member of the Hezbollah Shura Council, which includes seven members in addition to Hassan Nasrallah. Al-Hurra reported that the USA had placed Reza Zahidi on the sanctions list in 2010 under Executive Order 13224.
Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi: Deputy to Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahidi in Syria, originally from Tehran, born in 1341 in the solar hijri calendar (1962 AD). Before his death, according to a report by the Tasnim website, he served as the deputy coordinator of the Quds Force affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which he had joined in 1980. He held various positions, including tactical trainer at Imam Hussein Barracks; commander of Hamza Barracks, which was the main training center for the Basij forces; and then joined the ground forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard; after which he took command of the Imam Ali Special Forces unit, the largest unit in the Quds Force.
Brigadier General Hossein Amanollahi (Hosseini Aminollah): From the city of Islamshahr, born in 1342 in the solar hijri calendar (1963 AD). Prior to his death, according to a report by the Iranian website Sarpoosh, he served as the chief of staff of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Syria and Lebanon.
Ali Agha Babaei: From the village of Shanstaq Sefali in Qazvin Province, born in 1366 in the solar hijri calendar (1987 AD). According to a report by the Iranian news agency ISNA, he was one of General Hajizadeh’s fighters in the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. He studied Information Technology Engineering until he obtained a bachelor's degree, and was on a mission to Syria for about a month before his death.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohsen Sadaqat: Born in the city of Qom in 1365 in the solar hijri calendar (1986 AD). According to a report by the Iranian website Irib News, he studied engineering and worked as a military advisor to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Syria before his death.
Sayyid Ali Salehi Rozbehani: Born in the city of Borujerd in 1378 in the solar hijri calendar (1999 AD). According to a report by the Iranian website Tabnak and a report by ISNA, he was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Sayyid Mahdi Jaladati: Born in Tehran in 1378 in the solar hijri calendar (1999 AD). According to a report by the Iranian website Raja News, he joined the "Ahmadi Roushan" technical and vocational academy and continued studying at university. He became an official member of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in 2021 and first entered Syria in 2023. According to a report by the Iranian website Hamshahri, he served as a member of the Secretariat of the Coordination Office of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard.

Various news websites in Iran and Arab countries reported the deaths of these seven individuals who, according to a report by Al-Arabiya, constituted the complete leadership hierarchy responsible for the activities of the Revolutionary Guard in Syria and Lebanon, as reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing Bloomberg Television.

● A Lebanese affiliated with Hezbollah: Lebanese Hezbollah mourned Hussein Reza Youssef (Hadi) via the website of its affiliated channel Al-Manar. He was born in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon in 1986, and was killed in the attack on the Iranian consulate, according to Ali Fayad, a member of the Lebanese Parliament from Hezbollah. Al-Ghad TV broadcast a video from the funeral, in which the correspondent stated that Hussein Reza Youssef, a Hezbollah member, was killed in the attack.

Photo published by Hezbollah of Hussein Reza Youssef, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 24, 2024.

● Three Syrians: The ‘Martyrs of the Imam Zain al-Abidin Neighbourhood’ Facebook page posted an obituary accompanied by photos, mourning three individuals whom they claimed were killed "on the road to Jerusalem" (Hezbollah uses this phrase to mourn its fighters who are killed by Israeli forces). The individuals were named as Muhammad Adnan Sanobar, Mustafa Suleiman, and Haidar Yasin, from the Zain al-Abidin neighbourhood in Damascus. They were reportedly killed in the attack on the Iranian consulate. The Syrian Archive tracked the names of the three individuals and their affiliations - with the ‘auxiliary forces’ or with Lebanese Hezbollah - in Damascus by matching posts on social media, obituaries from pro-Assad-government pages, and reports from the victims' families.

Screenshot showing the three deceased individuals according to the Martyrs of Imam Zain al-Abidin Neighbourhood page, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 28, 2024.

Weapons Used:

The exact weapons used could not be accurately determined, as videos and photos did not show any munition remnants. However, the Iranian ambassador in Damascus, Hossein Akbari, and the Iranian deputy representative to the United Nations, Zahra Arshadi, stated that six to seven missiles fired by Israeli F-35 combat aircraft struck the consulate building.

Potential Responsible Party:

The Iranian president, the supreme leader, and various Iranian political figures held the Israeli Air Force responsible for the attack. Additionally, both the Syrian foreign minister in Assad's government and the Iranian ambassador, in a joint statement following the attack, attributed responsibility to Israel.

The Israeli government did not issue a confirmation or denial regarding its alleged responsibility for the attack. The Israeli news website ynet reported that Israel rejected claims about an Israeli military attack on the Iranian consulate. Ynet and Inyan Merkazi quoted an Israeli army spokesperson stating that "according to intelligence information, this location is neither a consulate nor an embassy. It is a military structure of the Quds Force."

The New York Times reported what it claimed was a member of the Revolutionary Guard (which supervises the Quds Force) stating that the attack “targeted a meeting in which Iranian intelligence officials and Palestinian militants were discussing the war in Gaza. Among them were leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group armed and funded by Iran."

Israeli journalist Roi Kais tweeted on platform X, that "the Israeli attack targeted an office near the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The sign is still there."

The Times of Israel quoted the New York Times reporting that Israel only informed United States officials “a few minutes ahead of the Damascus strike”, and that the United States was not involved in the attack.

Conclusion:

Based on the detailed information above, it can be confirmed that the Iranian consulate building in Damascus was subjected to an airstrike likely consisting of six to seven missiles launched from Israeli Air Force combat aircraft, at around 17:00 on April 1, 2024.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 13 confirmed individuals, whose names have been identified, including: two civilians (a woman and her son), seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, one Lebanese fighter belonging to Hezbollah, and three Syrians affiliated with militias fighting alongside Hezbollah; in addition to the complete destruction of the consulate building and damage to surrounding buildings and vehicles that were passing by or parked nearby.

It cannot be precisely confirmed that Israeli forces struck the consulate site, but reports and analyses regarding the incident suggested that the Israeli Air Force was likely responsible for the attack.

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Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian consulate in Damascus

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