Foreign policy expert says Israel took out individual that would have been the next Soleimani

Foreign policy expert and national security adviser Dr. Walid Phares said Wednesday that Israel took out an individual that would have become the next Qasem Soleimani, a leader of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who was killed in a U.S. drone strike.

"They did a strike which is very, very clearly a message to the Iran regime," Phares said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "Then they eliminated the man who would eventually in time, would have become the next Soleimani –the next commander of all these militias."

On Monday, Iran said that Israeli airstrikes hit a building in Damascus, Syria, resulting in seven people being killed.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the strike killed Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brig. Gen. Hossein Amirullah, who was described as Zahedi's successor and head of the general staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria and Lebanon.

"Those who have been eliminated in this raid are high ranking officials in this federation of militias that stretch from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon," Phares said. "I would even add Yemen and Gaza."

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the airstrike, but the country has a tense relationship with Iran. 

The Pentagon on Tuesday said Israel was responsible for the airstrike, according to ABC News.