Tales of an intelligence spectacular… and an appalling bungle
Amid the rightful furore over the killings of seven aid workers, another Israeli strike has also become a key moment in war in the Middle East
Hello and welcome to Hostile World with Chris Hughes, a weekly newsletter about the world of defence and geopolitics. You can subscribe here and follow me on Twitter @defencechris. Thank you!

Amid the rightful furore over the killings of seven aid workers, including the three British military veterans, another Israeli strike has also become a key moment in war in the Middle East.
As British and other western politicians issue widespread condemnation over the deaths in Gaza, Iran is preparing its reaction to Israel hitting its diplomatic mission in Damascus.
The airstrike on Damascus earlier this week killed seven people and flattened a consular building and crucially two of Tehran’s top generals died in the unusual attack.
Israel rarely comments on attacks inside Syria and this was no different except for it being a departure, unusual because it was a blatant, daytime mission which directly targeted a diplomatic building.
The missile hit killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior Quds force commander and his number two Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi, both senior in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Even for Israel, the attack on the complex in the Syrian capital’s Mezzeh district marked a boldness in its attempts to dismantle Iran’s outreach ability to launch operations.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Hostile World with Chris Hughes to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.