Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Syrian Civil Defence teams worked through the night on Monday to clear the wreckage of the Iranian ambassador's residence in Damascus, after an Israeli attack that killed at least 11 people, including two senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Parts of the central Mezzeh district were cordoned off on Tuesday morning as excavators went to work and search and rescue teams tried to recover the dead.
“We have been pulling out bodies … because it’s a five-storey building that was demolished,” Jaafar, who works for the Syrian Civil Defence, told The National.
“The sheer force of the strike rocked the neighbourhood and impacted the residential buildings behind the ambassador's residence. There are casualties and martyrs.”
Iran confirmed the death of seven members of the IRGC, including Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon, and another commander, Brig Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 11 people were killed.
The ambassador's residence, which is also used as a consulate and is adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building, is in a diplomatic area. An Israeli attack in the Mezzeh neighbourhood in January killed several IRGC military advisers and Syrian soldiers.
“Look what Israel is doing in Gaza, in Lebanon and here in Syria. Every day, it is attacking everybody. They are killing people all around our region, attacking us in broad daylight," a Syrian firefighter said.
“It is a dangerous and brazen targeting in the heart of Damascus,” a rescue official told The National.
Challenge to Iran
The strike is the most significant attack against an Iranian target since the Gaza war began and risks pulling Iran into a direct confrontation with Israel.
It also raises fears of escalation on other fronts against Israel, including from Iran-backed groups in Yemen and Lebanon.
The Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment on the attack in Damascus.
Hossein Akbari, the Iranian ambassador, claimed F-35 fighters with six missiles had attacked the compound - he did not provide a source of the information, nor evidence - when he addressed reporters outside the embassy.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Iranian and Syrian personnel and property within Syria. But the strikes have escalated since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7 and the cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Friday, dozens of Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah members were killed in Israeli air strikes on north-western Aleppo province, one of the biggest attacks against Syria and the Iranian-backed group since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza.
Residents of the Mezzeh area were returning home from work, with some stuck in traffic jams on the motorway before the explosions in the area.
Mohanad Al Shalah said he was on the way home when a loud explosion deafened him.
“I was driving home on the motorway and suddenly the windows in the car vibrated, my ears hurt, I looked and I saw the smoke rising from near the consulate,” he said.
“This is an embassy, so no one ever expected such a strike would occur. People were still trapped out of the rubble; the building [site] looked like a war zone.”
Rama, who lives behind the ambassador's residence, said her balcony was covered in shattered glass and debris from the strike. “My children were in the house with me as the strike ripped through the area," she siad. "My furniture is all broken, the house Is a mess. It is a bomb site now.”
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%3A%20Baniyas%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh97%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Alajaj%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%20(jockey)%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%20(trainer)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.35pm%3A%20The%20Pointe%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Awasef%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.10pm%3A%20Palm%20West%20Beach%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Long%20Kiss%2C%20Jose%20da%20Silva%2C%20Antonio%20Cintra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.45pm%3A%20The%20View%20at%20the%20Palm%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Ranaan%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Bhupat%20Seemar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.20pm%3A%20Nakheel%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Raaeb%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Musabah%20Al%20Muhairi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.55pm%3A%20The%20Club%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh95%2C000%20(D)%201%2C900m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Qareeb%2C%20Sam%20Hitchcock%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E9.30pm%3A%20Palm%20Beach%20Towers%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Falsehood%2C%20Adrie%20de%20Vries%2C%20Musabah%20Al%20Muhairi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
