Who is the Leader Mohammad Reza Zahidi Targeted in the Mezzeh Raid?

Israel assassinated Mohammad Reza Zahidi, a leader in the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, today, Monday, in an attack on the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus. Zahidi is considered one of the top leaders in the Quds Force, which is part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also served as Deputy Commander of Operations for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, in addition to leading the air and ground forces of the Revolutionary Guard. Zahidi participated in leading a battalion in the Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq War, as well as in the war in Syria. He is also known by the name "Hasan Mahdawi," and he leads the "2000 Forces" of the "Lebanon Assistance Office" (2250) in Damascus. Israeli broadcasting authorities indicated that "the army waited for the departure of the Iranian consul before targeting Mohammad Reza Zahidi, a leader in the Quds Force." The Israeli Army Radio reported that "Mohammad Reza Zahidi is not only a high-ranking Iranian military figure but also a highly experienced man—79 years old—who led the Revolutionary Guard forces during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and held the positions of commander of the ground forces and commander of the air forces of the Revolutionary Guard, holding a series of senior positions in the Iranian General Staff." Social media had circulated a photo of Zahidi in a meeting with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.