Report: US Told Iran It Had No Involvement in Bombing Syria Consulate

US and Israeli officials say the US was notified about the strike minutes before it was launched

Axios reported on Monday that the US told Iran it had no involvement or advanced knowledge of the Israeli airstrike that targeted a consulate building next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.

A senior US official said the US had sent the message “directly to Iran.” The US has a history of approving Israeli airstrikes in Syria, but US and Israeli officials insist that the US was only notified of the strike minutes before it was launched.

The officials said Israel was not looking for a green light from the US and that little detail was shared. The strike took place before Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan began a video conference with Israeli officials to discuss Israel’s plans to attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Despite the strike being a huge escalation and blatant violation of international law, Blinken and Sullivan didn’t bring it up during the two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Israeli officials, according to Axios. There’s also no sign the attack on a diplomatic facility will impact US military support for Israel in any way.

The message to Iran signals that the US is worried the Israeli attack could provoke a response from Iran or its allies in the region. Iran has vowed it will “punish” Israel, and many of its Shia allies in the region, known as the Axis of Resistance, view the US and Israel as one and the same.

A Pentagon official told Axios that hours after the consulate strike, a one-way attack drone was fired at Al Tanf, one of the US’s main bases in Syria. The official said the drone was downed, and there were no injuries or damage.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.