The story: In another major attack on senior Iranian military officers in Syria, five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been killed in suspected Israeli airstrikes. This comes barely a month after the most influential commander of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force in the Levant lost his life in a similar incident. While Israel has long attacked Iranian positions in Syria, the recent string of brazen assassinations and the seniority of the targets have raised questions about Iran’s deterrence strategy.

The latest attack has been strongly condemned by Tehran. Senior Iranian officials have once again vowed vengeance, with the foreign minister insisting that the IRGC’s presence in Syria won’t be impacted. Iranian media—including pro-reform outlets—have...