TEHRAN -- In a dangerous escalation of tension in West Asia, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, resulting in the martyrdom of General Muhammad Reza Zahedi along with other personnel from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp (IRGC). 
The brazen terrorism has drawn sharp condemnation from Iran and resistance movements and pledges of retaliation against the unprovoked act of aggression.
The airstrike on Monday destroyed the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, signifying a direct assault on Iranian sovereign soil, albeit in Syrian territory. 
The strategic implications of the aggression are manifold. The attack might alter the calculus for Iran and Hezbollah in terms of their engagement strategy with the occupying regime of Israel and its allies. The pledges of retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah indicate that the incident is far from a conclusion.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a key decision-making body, met late Monday and decided on a “required” response to the strike. The meeting was chaired by President Ebrahim Raisi.
 “The evil Zionist regime will be punished at the hands of our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and the other ones,” Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Tuesday.
“After repeated defeats and failures against the faith and will of the Resistance Front fighters, the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” President Raisi said. 
“Day by day, we have witnessed the strengthening of the Resistance Front and the disgust and hatred of free nations towards the illegitimate nature of (Israel). This cowardly crime will not go unanswered.”
Official news agency IRNA said Iran relayed an important message to the United States late Monday and that it called for a meeting of the UN Security Council. The message to Washington was delivered through a Swiss envoy in Tehran; Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran.
IRNA said Iran holds the United States, Israel’s closest ally, responsible for the strike.
The UN Security Council discussed the terrorist strike later Tuesday at a meeting requested by Russia.
“Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts,” Iran’s mission to the world body said.
It warned the strike could “potentially ignite more conflict involving other nations” and called on the Security Council “to condemn this unjustified criminal act.”
The airstrike in Syria martyred Gen. Zahedi, who led the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, according to the IRGC. It also martyred Zahedi’s deputy, Gen. Muhammad Hadi Hajriahimi, and five other officers.
Hezbollah said Tuesday that Zahedi played a crucial role in helping “develop and advance the work” of the resistance group in Lebanon.
“This crime will certainly not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
Iraqi, Yemeni and Palestinian resistance groups also condemned the attack and reiterated their support for the Islamic Republic. Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous visited the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. 
Persian Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Jordan condemned the strike on the Iranian consulate. The 22-state Arab League said the occupying regime of Israel aims to “expand the war and push the region to chaos.”
Iraq urged the international community to “take urgent action to halt the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip and the continued targeting of the Syrian territories.”
Russia and China strongly condemned the aggression, warning of its potential consequences for the West Asia region.
“We are deeply shocked and outraged by the Israeli attack on the consular building of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus that caused casualties and destroyed the building,” the Russian embassy in Tehran said in a statement.