TEHRAN- Palestinian resistance groups have sharply decried the assassination of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) member in a terrorist attack in Tehran, comparing the action to the assassination of former Islamic Jihad movement Secretary General Fathi Shaqaqi.

The assassination of Sayyad Khodaei, according to the Islamic Jihad movement, is reminiscent of the assassination of Shaqaqi, who was fatally shot six times in front of the Diplomat Hotel in Sliema, Malta's northeastern coastal town, on October 26, 1995, by a hit team comprised of two Israeli Mossad spy agents.

The Zionist regime had the illusion to silence the resistance front while the “resistance tree” is growing in size, the movement said.

Furthermore, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement condemned the killing of IRGC member.

“We condemn the cowardly assassination of Sayyad Khodaei, an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a terrorist operation perpetrated by the Zionist Mossad,” it said in a statement. 

"We note that this illegal operation highlights the need for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) to strengthen up their actions in order to oppose the continuous assault," the movement continued.

Terrorist acts against the Muslim Ummah, according to the statement, demonstrate the Tel Aviv regime's criminal nature as the sworn and greatest enemies of Muslims.

According to Iran's official news agency, IRNA, Khodaei was assassinated in downtown Tehran at approximately 4 p.m. local time (11:30 GMT) on Sunday, as the IRGC member was dismounting his car to enter his home.

He was slain, according to reports, by two motorcycles who shot him five times before departing the area.

Three bullets struck him in the skull, while two others struck his hand, according to the IRIB news agency.

Soon after the assassination, the IRGC published a statement asserting that a former member had been targeted in a terrorist attack by counterrevolutionary elements.

The statement expressed condolences to his family and stated that all required steps had been taken to identify and apprehend the perpetrator or perpetrators.