US News

Iran warns Israel ‘will pay the price’ after Tehran claims IDF airstrike killed top Revolutionary Guard commander

By
Ryan King
Published Dec. 25, 2023, 3:50 p.m. ET
Today's Video Headlines
0 of 57 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
Next Up
Paraglider nearly freezes to death after being dragged up 5 miles into clouds
00:42
00:00
00:56
00:57
More Videos
00:42
Paraglider nearly freezes to death after being dragged up 5 miles into clouds
00:39
Brazilian nuns go viral for live beatbox and dance performance
05:07
Trump's 5 most controversial moments with the press through the years
02:09
Busted: 12 migrants in hay bales | Reporter Replay
01:06
Musk will remain Trump ally after DOGE exit | Reporter Replay
02:40
What we know about the Israeli Embassy shooter | Reporter Replay
05:06
What is habeas corpus? And can it be suspended?
01:28
FSU gunman was kidnapped by his mother | Reporter Replay
Close
 

An Israeli airstrike in Syria took out a top Iranian commander Monday, prompting Iran to ominously warn Israel that it will “pay the price,” according to Tehran’s state media.

Seyed Razi Mousavi, an adviser in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who helped coordinate Tehran’s ties with Syria, was killed by an Israeli missile in Sayyida Zeinab, a Damascus suburb not far from a Shiite shrine, IRNA, Iranian state media said.

Iran vowed to retaliate.

“This act is a sign of the Zionist regime’s frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price,” Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi said, according to a Reuters translation.

Tehran described Mousavi as one of the most experienced Iranian officials in Syria.

Video circulated social media purportedly showing the airstrike.

State media also described Mousavi as an ally of Qassem Soleimani, the deceased head of the IRGC’s infamous Quds Force.

Seyed Razi Mousavi and Qassem Soleimani
Seyed Razi Mousavi (left) is pictured next to Qassem Soleimani. via REUTERS

Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in early 2020 after a spate of clashes between the two nations.

Mousavi’s death marks a major escalation in Iran-Israel tensions, which have already been simmering over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Iran has long been accused of backing the Palestinian terror organization and other US-designated terrorist groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Since the war in Israel erupted in October, there have been fears that it could be a powder keg that spills over into a broader regional war.

Seyed Razi Mousavi
Seyed Razi Mousavi was working in Syria in a diplomatic capacity, Iran claims. via REUTERS
Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi
Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi vowed retaliation. via REUTERS

Mousavi is believed to have already been targeted by Israeli assassination attempts in the past, sources told Al Zajeera.

Iran also accused Israel of killing two IRGC personnell in Syria earlier this month.

Israel typically does not take responsibility for attacks against Iranian targets in Syria and has been largely mum about its role in Mousavi’s alleged death.

But the Israeli Defense Force is preparing for Iranian retaliation, according to Axios.