A member of their navy Revolutionary Guards of Iranwho served as a military adviser to Syriawas killed today Friday, in a blow attributed to Israelthe official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

Other Iranian media reported that the colonel Reza Zarei (photo) was killed along with two Hezbollah fighters, of the Lebanese organization supported by Tehran.

Zarei was killed by a strike on a building used by Iranian forces in the Tartous area, a high-ranking source in the security services of the alliance supporting the Syrian government told Reuters. When asked about the strike, the Israeli military said it does not comment on foreign reports.

The Revolutionary Guards have scaled back the deployments of their senior officers to Syria in the wake of a series of deadly Israeli raids. They rely more on allied, Shiite militias to maintain their power in the region, according to Reuters. Israel mainly hits areas around the capital Damascus. Hits in Tartous are rare.