Tehran (Iran): Sayyed Reza Mousavi, a top-ranked commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was leading operations in Syria and Lebanon, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday, media reports said.

The general "was killed during an attack by the Zionist regime a few hours ago in Zeinabiyah district in the suburbs of Damascus," Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

Moussavi was "active in the field of providing logistical support to the axis of resistance in Syria," IRNA said, referring to groups backed by Tehran and arrayed against Israel, AFP reported.

According to AFP, the IRGC said Moussavi was killed in a "missile attack".

The Jerusalem Post reported explosions in the Set Zaynab area in the Damascus countryside, south of the Syrian capital.

Social media videos showed a plume of smoke near the Damascus International Airport, a location frequently targeted by Israel due to its use by Iran-backed proxies in the region.

Press TV, the Iranian state-owned broadcaster, has officially confirmed the death of Mousavi, identifying him as a "senior advisor" in Syria.

According to Press TV, Mousavi had a close association with Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force who was killed in a US drone strike in January 2020.

Israeli media has highlighted Mousavi's targeted killing as the most significant since Soleimani.

Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to avenge Mousavi's death.

"Undoubtedly, the usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement read on Press TV.

"This action is another sign of frustration, helplessness, and inability of the occupying Zionist regime," he added.

Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, Israel has launched numerous airstrikes on its northern neighbour, targetting Iran-backed forces, Hezbollah fighters, and Syrian army positions.

On December 2, the IRGC accused Israel of killing two of its members in Syria, stating they were on an advisory mission without providing further details.

Israel, which seldom comments on reported strikes in Syria, has increased its attacks, particularly against Hezbollah, since the beginning of its conflict with Iran-supported Hamas triggered by the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian group.

Iran has consistently refused to recognize Israel and has supported the Palestinian cause as a cornerstone of its foreign policy since the Islamic revolution in 1979.