'DETERRENCE POSTURE'
Julien Barnes-Dacey of the European Council on Foreign Relations said the attack marked a more overt Israeli strike on Iranian state interests than previously seen in Syria.
"While Tehran wants to avoid being sucked into a wider war...it may feel compelled to respond more forcefully to maintain the credibility of its regional deterrence posture," Barnes-Dacey said.
Iranian state media said Tehran believed the target was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the brigadier generals killed.
A biography shared by Hezbollah's al-Manar outlet said Zahedi was in the Quds Force from 2008 to 2016 - the IRGC arm which oversees allied militia around the region.
He then led the Guards' operations from 2016 and 2019 before returning to the Quds Force to work on its Lebanon and Syria operations until this year.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was operating all over the Middle East "in a multi-front war" to exact a price from those who threaten it, without referring to the strike.
Russia called it an act of aggression and called on Israel to cease such "absolutely unacceptable" actions.
The attack was one of the heaviest blows to the IRGC since the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad in 2020.
Iran backs groups that have entered the fray across the region since Hamas ignited the Gaza war on Oct. 7 by attacking Israel, with Hezbollah waging attacks from Lebanon while Iraqi groups have fired on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq and the Houthis of Yemen have attacked Red Sea shipping.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has drawn on Iranian military aid during more than a decade of civil war.
Israel typically does not discuss attacks by its forces on Syria. Asked about the strike, an Israeli military spokesperson said: "We do not comment on reports in the foreign media".
The Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in another 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.
REUTERS
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