Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi vowed on Tuesday to retaliate and "punish" Israel over the strike against Tehran's embassy compound in Syria as the Gaza war spillover continues to expand across the region.
The attack on Monday evening in Damascus killed at least 14 people. Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, including the head of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, were among the dead.
“The evil regime will be punished by the hands of our brave warriors. We will make them regret this crime and the like by God’s grace,” Iranian state media quoted Mr Khamenei as saying.
Mr Raisi said Israel "has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” describing the strike as a “cowardly crime that will not go unanswered”.
While Israel did not officially acknowledge responsibility for the attack, an army spokesman said the embassy compound, in the central Mezzeh area of Damascus, was a military site “disguised” as a diplomatic site.
“According to our intelligence, this is no consulate and this is no embassy,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told CNN. “I repeat, this is no consulate and this is no embassy. This is a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.”
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel would “act everywhere, every day to prevent the force build-up of our enemies”, adding that Israel is making it “clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be a heavy price”.
Tehran's Supreme National Security Council met late on Monday to discuss the attack and decided on a response, state TV reported, without providing further details.
Meanwhile, the regime's supporters in the capital held protests against Israel and the US, burning flags and brandishing photos of the dead.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah warned Israel that the killing of two Iranian generals in Damascus will not go unpunished.
“This crime will not pass without the enemy being punished,” Hezbollah said on Tuesday, in reference to Israel. The powerful Lebanese armed group and political party has engaged in near-daily exchanges of cross-border fire with Israel since October 8.
Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, chaired by Mr Raisi, also hit out at Israel and its closest ally, Washington, over the strike. Israel, with US backing, “has committed so many crimes in Gaza that history will not forget”, it said in a statement carried by state news agency Irna, praising Gazans for “fierce resistance”.
“This criminal act is against all international legal standards,” it added, saying Iran reserves “the right to answer to this shameless crime”.
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 concerns about further aggression on other fronts against Israel, including from Iran-backed groups in Yemen and Lebanon.
A source close to Iran's allies in the region said that the US "knows the gravity of what Israel did and that it should expect that Iran carries out some kind of response. Washington already fears the possibility of the collapse of the Iraqi truce that has been in place since last February".
Last month, Iraqi militias backed by Iran halted their attacks against US forces in the region in the context of an “unannounced truce” that involves Tehran and the Iraqi government, sources in Lebanon and Iraq told The National. Indirect talks between the US and Iran have attempted to build on that in Iraq to expand it across conflict-hit areas of the Middle East.
Mondays' strike is one of several suspected Israeli attacks on Syria since the war in Gaza began on October 7, and comes just days after dozens of regime soldiers and Iran-backed fighters were killed near Aleppo.
The main facility hit in Aleppo comprises Soviet-era production lines of weapons and is thought to be undergoing modernisation by the IRGC, sources told The National on Tuesday.
The site produces heavy mortar rounds, munition for tanks and ballistic missiles, according to the sources.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Results
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
HAJJAN
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If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
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
Everton%20Fixtures
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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