Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani arrived at Damascus Airport in a car with dark glass, and was accompanied by four soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The car stopped near a stairway leading to the Airbus A320 plane belonging to the "Wings of the Levant" airline flying to Baghdad.
Neither Soleimani nor his soldiers were on the passenger lists, according to an airline employee who described to Reuters the scene of their departure from the Syrian capital.
On the other hand, an Iraqi security source familiar with Suleimani's security arrangements confirmed that the Iranian military commander avoided using his private plane due to increasing concerns about his personal security.
It was the last flight of Soleimani, as he was killed by missiles fired by an American plane while he was leaving Baghdad airport in a convoy of two armored cars.
Spies Network
Two Iraqi security officials said the investigation into the strikes that killed Soleimani on January 3 had begun minutes after the US strike.
Investigations focused on how suspected informants inside the Damascus and Baghdad airports cooperated with the US military to help it track and locate Soleimani.
The investigation is led by Faleh Al-Fayyad, Iraqi National Security Adviser and head of the Popular Mobilization Organization, which has Iranian support and has close ties to Soleimani.
One official confirmed that National Security Agency investigators have strong indications that a network of spies inside Baghdad airport was involved in leaking critical security details to the United States about Soleimani's arrival.
He said that the suspects - including two security officials at Baghdad Airport and two employees in the wings of the Levant - are "a spy at Damascus Airport and another working on the plane."
The official added that National Security Agency investigators believe that the four suspects who were not arrested, worked within a wider group of people to provide the US military with information.
The official added that the preliminary results of the Baghdad investigation team indicate that the first information about Soleimani was received from Damascus Airport, while the airport cell function was to confirm the arrival of the target and the details of his convoy.
It is noteworthy that the assassination of Soleimani sparked widespread anger and pledges for revenge in Iran, which yesterday responded by a missile attack on two Iraqi military bases hosting American forces.