BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on Syria killed an Iranian general, Tehran confirmed on Monday, as thousands of supporters of Lebanon’s Hezbollah gathered to bury one of six fighters killed in the same raid.

The attack on Sunday near Quneitra on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights enraged Hezbollah’s supporters, but analysts said the group would avoid a major escalation with Israel.

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of one of their generals in a statement on their website.

“General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi and a number of fighters and Islamic Resis­tance (Hezbollah) forces were attacked by the Zionist regime’s helicopters,” it said.

“This brave general and some members of Hezbollah were martyred. “A source close to Hezbollah said six Iranians had been killed in the attack. Hezbollah said that it was not the source of that toll.

Among Hezbollah’s dead was Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of an assassinated commander from the group, and Mohammed Issa, a commander responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in Syria and Iraq.

Once solely focused on fighting Israel, Hezbollah is now deeply involved in the war in neighbouring Syria, where it backs President Bashar al-Assad.

With its forces spread thin, and little appetite in fragile Lebanon for a new conflict with Israel, analysts said Hezbollah would seek to respond to the raid without provoking a full-on war.

Resistance will decide response: On Monday afternoon, thousands of mourners gathered in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold for Mughniyeh’s funeral.

“God willing, the resistance will retaliate but the leadership of the resistance will be the one to decide the nature and timing,” said Hassana Sadaqa, as she prepared to pay her respects.

Mourners chanted “Our party is Hezbollah, our leader is Nasrallah” as the coffin was carried through the streets and shots were fired into the air.

Mughniyeh was buried in the same cemetery as his father Imad, who was killed in a 2008 car bombing that Hezbollah blamed on Israel. As the crowds marched through the streets, residents threw confetti down from their balconies, celebrating what they see as the fighters’ ‘martyrdom’.

Published in Dawn January 20th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play