The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Army, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi extended his condolences to the family of Seyyed Razi Mousavi, who was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria, on Monday.

"Following the defeats [suffered by] the usurping regime in the face of the people of Gaza and the Axis of Resistance, the impotence and frustration of the child-killing Zionist regime were exposed once again, [after it committed] another crime," which culminated in the "martyrdom of a sincere fighter," a message issued by Major General Mousavi read.

The Chief of Staff pointed out the martyr's impeccable professional record, highlighting his work as a senior advisor at Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria and his close-knit relationship with martyr and leader Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, as they commanded and fought against terror groups in the region.

Read more: General Soleimani, the revolutionary, the martyr, the legend

"Israel" braces itself for response

Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi mourned senior commander Seyyed Mousavi hours after he was assassinated. The Iranian President pledged that the Israeli occupation would pay the price for their crime against the top IRGC advisor in Syria.

Raisi issued later in the day a statement extending his condolences to the Islamic Republic and its people, as well as Mousavi's comrades in the IRGC.

Razi, he said, was a brave and courageous man whose assassination was a sign of weakness from the Israeli occupation.

Speaking to the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Hossein Akbari denounced "Israel's" assassination of Seyyed Mousavi as "a cowardly terrorist act by the Zionist regime" in violation of international conventions, citing the diplomatic nature of Mousavi work in Syria.

The IRGC advisor was at the Iranian embassy at 2 PM  (local time) and he was martyred at his house after returning from work at 4:10 PM (local time) by three air-launched missiles, Akbari explained.

"Perhaps, it can be said that the Zionist regime is taking crazy measures today to make up for some of its failures regarding both domestic problems and conditions in Gaza, where it has practically achieved none of its objectives after 80 days [of war]."

Read more: 'Israel' bracing for Iranian response to IRGC assassination: Official