US Warns Iran Not To Target It Over Syria Strike

White House national security spokesman John Kirby dismissed as "nonsense" Iranian charges of US responsibility for Monday's bombing, and he warned that Washington would respond to any retaliatory attacks.

"Let me make it clear. We had nothing to do with the strike in Damascus," he told a briefing. "We weren't involved in any way."

In response to US support for Israel, Iran-backed militias have targeted US military bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, although there have been no such attacks since early February following US retaliatory strikes.

"We always take our force protection very seriously, to protect our troops, our facilities in Iraq and Syria," said Kirby. "We will do whatever we need to do to protect those troops."

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Israel provided no advance warning of the strike on the Iranian mission in the Syrian capital.

"We were not notified by the Israelis about their strike or the intended target of their strike in Damascus," Singh told a briefing, adding that Iran had been privately told the US was not behind the strike.

Shortly before the attack, Israel notified the United States that it would be operating in Syria, but used vague language that did not identify a target, two officials saidon condition of anonymity.

Israel "did not include any details on who they were targeting or where it would be conducted, and the strike was already under way before word could be passed through the US government," said one official.

Iran on Tuesday said it would retaliate against Israel for the strike that destroyed its embassy's consular section and killed seven members of Iran's Quds Force, an elite contingent of the Revolutionary Guards Corps that conducts paramilitary and espionage operations outside Iran.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

(Reporting by Reuters)

Zeraati was stabbed outside his residence in Wimbledon, south London, on March 29, and sustained injuries to his leg. He was discharged from hospital on Sunday.

According to a statement by the Metropolitan Police, the motive for the assault remains unclear. However, due to prior threats against Iran International journalists, the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command is spearheading the investigation. The attack occurred just a few months after a plot by the Iranian regime to kill 2 other Iran International journalists was revealed.

Detectives investigating the stabbing said they have identified three suspects in the case, but did not disclose their identities. Zeraati was approached by two men before being attacked. The assailants then escaped the scene in a blue Mazda 3 driven by a third accomplice. Their getaway vehicle, however, proved to be their undoing. Police located the abandoned car in New Malden and are currently conducting a forensic examination.

Authorities discovered that the suspects, instead of lying low, made a beeline straight for Heathrow Airport and vanished from the UK within a few hours of the attack.

"We've identified three suspects who we believe left the country shortly after the incident," revealed Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.

The investigation, which included extensive CCTV analysis and inquiries, led the detectives to the abandoned vehicle, he added. “Detectives trawled CCTV and made extensive enquiries resulting in the identification and recovery of a vehicle used by the suspects to leave the scene. We have established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled to Heathrow Airport and have left the UK. We are now working with international partners to establish further details.”

Commander Murphy said they are still in the early stage of the investigation, stressing that all possibilities are being considered, and no definitive reason for the attack has been established yet.

The incident has understandably caused significant concern “for local people and all those impacted, "Murphy admitted, adding that they have increased police patrols in Wimbledon and other key areas across London.

Many activists and human rights and journalist unions have raised concerns about the incident, calling for action to confront and deter the regime in Tehran from expanding its malign activities.

Activist Masih Alinejad, herself a victim of an assassination plot by Iran, said the attack on Zeraati must be “a wake-up call for the UK.” This attack on Zeraati was a sinister message from the Islamic Republic she said: "If you are a dissident, then you are not safe, no matter how far from Iran's borders you may be, she said in her opinion piece."

Iran International’s journalists have long been a target for the regime for their coverage of Iran, and the platform it provides to critics and human rights activists.

In November 2022, the London Police provided protection to Iran International’s offices, acting upon credible intelligence about real threats against two of its journalists based in London.

In early 2023, the network had to temporarily shut down operations in London and move its broadcasting studios to Washington DC. In September, operations resumed at a new location in London. A man surveilling the previous London office was arrested by the police in February 2023. The Central Criminal Court of England sentenced him in December for gathering information on Iran International's London headquarters to 3.5 years behind bars.

Former Iranian security chief Ali Shamkhani tweeted that Israel has acted as the United States' proxy army in the region, labeling the strike as foolishness for which Israel should face severe consequences. He vowed that Iran would retaliate regardless of whether the United States was aware of the strike beforehand.

IRGC General Esmail Kowsari, a member of the Iranian parliament, has stated that Israel's attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus constitutes an invasion of Iranian territory, warranting a serious response from Iran. He dismissed the notion of "strategic patience" in the face of such aggression, emphasizing that Iran will not hesitate to retaliate against Israel.

Kowsari also underscored that the United States should anticipate Iran's response, cautioning Israel against further attacks on Iran's interests. He reiterated Iran's stance regarding its military presence in Syria, emphasizing that Iranian personnel are there at the request of the Syrian government. When asked about the nature of Iran's retaliatory measures, Kowsari stated that such decisions lie with Iran's policymakers and military commanders. However, he declined to confirm whether Iran plans to target Israel's diplomatic missions in other countries.

However, international lawyer Reza Nasri clarified in an interview in Tehran that while the attack on the consulate was illegitimate and violated international law and regulations, it is inaccurate to consider embassies and consulates abroad as extensions of the country's sovereign territory.

Two IRGC generals and five other IRGC officers were killed in the attack on Monday. Subsequently, reports from Iran say that regime supporters in at least in the two cities of Tehran and Sari, have called for serious military strikes on Israel in retaliation for the attack.

In another development, former lawmaker Ali Motahari asked why in a volatile situation in Syria so many high-ranking military officers were taking part in a high-profile meeting. Alireza Pakfetrat, a lawmaker from Shiraz, also reiterated that it is not clear why such a meeting was held while Israel clearly has access to intelligence about the gatherings of Iranian officers in Syria. He suggested that such meetings should be held in a country other than Syria.

Another Iranian lawmaker, Mansour Haqiqatpoor, echoed the sentiment, stating, "Iran is prepared to deliver a robust response to the Zionists." However, he emphasized that such a response would be measured. He emphasized, "Our retaliation will be decisive and inflict significant losses on Israel."

Nonetheless, like many Iranian analysts and social media activists, he warned that the strike on the Iranian consulate could be part of a plot to drag Iran into a wider war in the region, involving Israel.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Entekhab news website, former diplomat and current political analyst Ghasem Mohebali stated that Israel has opted to escalate the conflict. However, Mohebali urged Iran to carefully consider whether broadening the conflict would serve Iran's interests or play into Israel's hands. He cautioned that overlooking details could entangle Iran in a game orchestrated by Israel.

While many observers, including commentators on the Iranian state TV, have questioned the Islamic Republic's inaction in the face of repeated Israeli strikes on Iran's positions inside and outside the country. Mohammad Taghi Aghayan, an Iranian analyst said on live Iranian TV: "Everyone talks about hard responses to Israel, but no one says where and when." And in response to those who call for calculated measures and strategic patience, he said: "What exactly should Israel do to prompt us to take hard revenge?"

"Hard revenge" is a term coined by Khamenei and the IRGC after US forces killed IRGC Qods Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Talking excessively about "hard revenge," "levelling Tel Aviv and Haifa," and "punishing Israel" without taking action is deeply embarrassing for Khamenei. Even many of his staunch supporters are questioning on social media what he and the IRGC are doing and how they are utilizing their power beyond suppressing women and students in the streets.

Khamenei is faced with two options: retaliating and falling into Netanyahu's trap, or refraining from action and facing further embarrassment.

Several Arab nations, including Egypt, Kuwait and Lebanon also condemned the widely-believed Israeli air strike, which hit a building next to the Islamic Republic’s alleged diplomatic premise in Damascus.

In an interview with CNN however, the IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said according to Israeli intelligence, the building was not a consulate nor an embassy.

According to Iran’s state media and its foreign ministry, the Israeli airstrike killed seven officials, including IRGC top commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and IRGC senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

In response to the attack, Guterres also said the “inviolability of diplomatic, consular premises, personnel must be respected in all cases”.

The Taliban meanwhile denounced the attack via a spokesperson saying that it “considers Israel's attack on the consular branch of the embassy of the Islamic Republic in Damascus a clear violation of diplomatic norms and a provocative act."

IRGC commanders do not enjoy the immunity diplomats are offered.

While it was alleged that "several long-serving" diplomats were also killed, no names were provided and it has yet to be confirmed by independent media.

Monday’s airstrike coincided with a public holiday for Iranian officials, who commemorate the death anniversary of the first Shiite Islamic Imam, and the embassy should have been closed.

Although Israel has not taken responsibility for the strike, Iran International sources say it was an Israeli operation.

UN Chief Guterres further called on all “concerned to exercise utmost restraint” and “avoid further escalation”.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and all top officials have condemned the attack vowing revenge at a time of their own choosing.

Pouria Zeraati was seriously injured in an attack as he left his home on March 29 in south London by what is suspected to have been covert Iranian security agents, coming on the back of long standing threats faced by Iran International from the Iranian government, with other journalists at the network also enduring imminent threats of violence since 2022. 

Although the police have yet to identify the assailants, Iran's government has a history of conducting numerous attacks against dissidents and journalists outside the country over the past 45 years.

Expressing solidarity with Zeraati and his family, the IFJ stressed, "Targeting journalists for simply doing their job must stop now!"

Previously, the National Union of Journalists in the UK (NUJ) condemned the attack on Zeraati, with General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet calling the incident a "cowardly attack" and "deeply shocking."

Stanistreet emphasized the need for the international community to pressure Iran and hold it accountable for its actions, stating, "The systematic targeting of journalists – simply for doing their jobs – has to stop."

The NUJ also extended its collective well-wishes to Zeraati for a swift recovery and pledges to collaborate with law enforcement and relevant bodies to combat the harassment and targeting of journalists.