The United States has informed Iran that it had no involvement in the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria. The attack, which took place on April 1, resulted in the death of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria.
The US “had no involvement in the [Israeli] strike [on Iran’s consulate in Damascus] and we did not know about it ahead of time,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told @axios.
A senior US official said the US “has communicated this directly to Iran”. https://t.co/3BhAZOII4D pic.twitter.com/0hQRQBTQvu— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 2, 2024
According to Axios, a US official confirmed that the US “had no involvement in the [Israeli] strike and we did not know about it ahead of time.” This statement was further reinforced by a senior US official, who stated that the US had directly communicated this information to Iran.
⚡️BREAKING
3 Iranian diplomats were killed in the Israeli attacks on the Iranian consulate in Syria
Among the diplomats is former IRGC ground forces commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, 2 Syrians are also among the dead pic.twitter.com/aVpgkCAbFB
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) April 1, 2024
Interestingly, Israeli and US officials revealed to Axios that that they had informed the Biden administration just minutes before the strike, without seeking a US green light. Furthermore, the US was not given any specific details about the target or the nature of the airstrike. It was only after the Israeli jets were already in the air that the US received this information.
⚡️BREAKING
Iran warned the United States, via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, that it would hold Washington responsible as a supporter of Israel and that USA would be held accountable for Israeli air strikes on the Iranian consulate in Syria. pic.twitter.com/7UGFDNwEcZ
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) April 1, 2024
In the aftermath of the attack, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Blinken held a lengthy video conference call with top Israeli officials. Their discussions focused on potential alternatives to an Israeli ground invasion in Rafah and did not address the Israeli airstrike in Syria.
Meanwhile, Iran has sent a strong message to the US by summoning a Swiss embassy official, who represents Washington’s interests in the absence of a US embassy in Iran.
The US “had no involvement in the [Israeli] strike [on Iran’s consulate in Damascus] and we did not know about it ahead of time,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told @axios.
A senior US official said the US “has communicated this directly to Iran”. https://t.co/3BhAZOII4D pic.twitter.com/0hQRQBTQvu— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 2, 2024
This action was taken in response to what Iran calls Israeli aggression targeting their consulate in Damascus. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, emphasized that the US must be held accountable for supporting the Israeli regime.
Source: Agencies (edited and translated by Al-Manar English Website)
