The Iranian officials killed in Damascus on Monday all played a common role, says Modarres.
"They were all responsible, in different capacities, for relations with Iranian-affiliated groups, particularly Hamas and Hezbollah," he says.
If the attack was indeed of Israeli origin, it had a "preventive dimension – Israel wanted to minimise Iran's ability to coordinate with all these groups in anticipation of a possible extension of the conflict".
By attacking some of the most prominent members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Bregman says the Israelis "want to make Tehran understand that they also consider Iran to be responsible for what's happening in Gaza and on the border with Lebanon”.
“It's a way of making it clear that they won't just try to strike Iran's satellite groups," he says.
Filippo Dionigi, a specialist in Islamist movements and the Middle East at the University of Bristol, agrees that Monday's air strike could indicate that Israel is ready to escalate the conflict with Iran. "This is an unprecedented escalation of tensions since the start of the war against Hamas," he says.
