CAIRO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli airstrike on the building of the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, killing 13 people, including two Iranian generals, has drawn widespread condemnation and sparked concern about further instability in the Middle East region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Arab League condemned the Israeli attack as "a clear violation of Syria's sovereignty and international laws."
The organization warned against the danger of the Israeli actions that "aim to expand the scope of the war regionally and push the region into a state of chaos."
Meanwhile, "Egypt categorically rejects targeting diplomatic facilities for any justification," Spokesperson of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid wrote on social media platform X.
He added, "Egypt voices solidarity with Syria in respecting its sovereignty and preserving the safety of its territories and people."
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday morning described the bombing as a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and a clear breach of international laws and norms, especially those protecting diplomatic missions and the safety of their staff.
In a statement, the ministry further called upon the international community and the UN Security Council to fulfill their responsibilities in taking necessary actions to preserve the peace and stability of the region, as well as to reduce tension and escalation.
"This is a serious violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which guarantee the immunity and inviolability of diplomatic headquarters," the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said on Tuesday.
Offering its sincere condolences to the Iranian government and the families of the victims, the ministry noted that "this dangerous escalation... inevitably threatens regional and international peace and security."
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday evening that Qatar strongly condemns the Israeli attack, which is a flagrant violation of international agreements and conventions as well as diplomatic norms.
In a statement, the ministry stressed Qatar's complete rejection of targeting diplomatic and consular missions and the need to provide protection for their personnel under international law.
For its part, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed on Tuesday that Israel "will be punished at the hands of our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and the other ones," according to a statement on his website.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday condemned the attack as a "clear violation of international regulations," saying "this cowardly crime will not go unanswered."
Reacting to Israel's "terrorist crime" in a message published on the website of his office, Raisi stressed that Israelis should know that they would never be able to achieve their "evil" objectives by resorting to such "inhumane" actions.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said the missile attack occurred at about 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) when Israel launched an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting the building of the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.
Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari, speaking to reporters in front of the Iranian embassy in Damascus after the attack, said Israel's F-35 fighter jets had launched six missiles from the occupied Golan Heights in a "criminal," targeted offense on the Iranian consulate's building.
In a statement on Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said two of its veteran commanders serving as "military advisers" in Syria, along with five officers accompanying them, were killed in the Israeli attack, identifying the slain commanders as Mohammad-Reza Zahedi and his deputy, Mohammad-Hadi Haji Rahimi.
The Iranian Students' News Agency on Tuesday quoted Iran's Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari as saying that six Syrian civilians had also been killed in the attack.
The incident marks a significant escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran, as it's the first hit on the Iranian embassy in Syria since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. ■
