US Urges Iran to Avoid Targeting American Forces following Israeli Attack

The United States has issued a message to Iran, urging it to refrain from targeting American bases and personnel in the wake of an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller made the announcement during a press briefing on Wednesday, stating that the US had conveyed a message to Iran emphasizing its non-involvement in Monday's airstrikes on the consular annex of Iran's embassy in Damascus. "I will just say that we made very clear to the Iranians that we had no involvement in this strike, we didn’t know about it at the time, and we warned them not to use this attack as a pretext to attack US facilities or personnel," he said.

Responding to inquiries about the method of communication with Iran, Miller affirmed, "We have the ability to send messages, very clear messages, to Iran both directly and indirectly, and we do so when it’s in our interest."

The Israeli air raid on Monday targeted the Iranian consulate, which was situated adjacent to the embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of 13 individuals, including seven members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who were in Syria on an advisory mission.

Iranian officials have strongly condemned the Israeli attack and emphasized Iran's right to retaliate. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called out the United States, labeling it as Israel's biggest supporter and demanding accountability for the "terrorist attack" that violated international obligations and conventions.