In the wake of the suspected Israeli airstrike targeting Iran's consulate building in Damascus, Iranian ultraconservatives have called for retaliatory attacks.

Hossein Shariatmadari, a hardliner aligned with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and head of the Kayhan Daily in Tehran, said, “The United Nations, which has recognized the Zionist regime, must firstly; respect the provisions of the Vienna Convention and secondly; respect the recognized principle of retaliation in international law and support Iran's attack on the diplomatic centers of the fake Israeli regime".

The suspected Israeli airstrike in Damascus resulted in the death of seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Quds Force. General Mohammad-Hadi Haji-Rahimi, a deputy of Zahedi, was also killed in the strike.

Iran's ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, confirmed the deaths and vowed a "harsh" response from Tehran.

Meanwhile, Jalal Rashidi Koochi, a senior member of the Iranian parliament, advocated for a “clear and direct” response targeting Israeli diplomatic centers in regional countries, with Azerbaijan suggested as a potential target.

Just last year, an Iran-backed plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Baku was foiled in a joint effort by Israeli and Azeri security. 

Iran's military installations in Syria have long been targeted by alleged Israeli airstrikes, but Monday's attack was the first time the embassy compound was hit.

Israeli intelligence analyst, Ronen Solomon, from Intellitimes, says the target was indeed not diplomatic, but says the property was actually used as an IRGC-HQ to host staff members from the Revolutionary Guards.

The Jewish state has ramped up strikes in Syria in parallel with its campaign against the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, which ignited the Gaza war when on October 7 it invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 mostly civilians and took over 250 hostage.

Israel has not commented on the allegations.