Iran confirms general killed in Israel strike on Syria

Iran confirmed Monday that a general of its elite Revolutionary Guards died in an Israeli strike on Syria that also killed six members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

"General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi and a number of fighters and Islamic Resistance (Hezbollah) forces were attacked by the Zionist regime's helicopters," said a statement on the Guards' website.

"This brave general and some members of Hezbollah were martyred."

The Israeli strike had also killed six Iranian soldiers, including commanders, a source close to the Lebanese Shiite group told AFP on Monday.

"The Israeli strike killed six Iranian soldiers, including commanders, as well as the six members of Hezbollah. They were all in a convoy of three cars," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Once solely focused on fighting Israel, Hezbollah is now deeply involved in the war in neighbouring Syria.

The six Hezbollah fighters killed on Sunday afternoon were carrying out a field reconnaissance mission in Mazraat Amal village, Al-Manar television said.

An Israeli security source confirmed a helicopter had carried out a strike against "terrorists" in the Golan who were allegedly carrying out an attack.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters across the border to aid Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's as his forces battle political dissidents and armed rebels.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday told Al-Mayadeen television that Hezbollah has had Iranian Fateh-110 missiles that can hit the whole of Israel since 2006, adding that it is always ready to fight.

Israeli air strikes on Syria "target the whole of the resistance axis," Nasrallah said in reference to Syria, Iran and his movement.

The Israeli air force has carried out several raids against targets in Syria, including depots storing weapons meant for Hezbollah, since the conflict there started nearly four years ago.

The most recent strike was in December, when Israeli warplanes struck weapons warehouses near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Israel has never confirmed it carried out the strikes, but it says it has a policy of preventing arms transfers to militant groups including Hezbollah.

Israeli media said, however, after the December strikes that the air force had targeted arms convoys or depots of Iranian-made rockets.