Iranian official accuses U.S. of greenlighting attack on Damascus consulate property

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday said the United States knew ahead of time that Israel would attack a building on the property of Iran’s consulate in Syria. Seven Iranian military officials, including two generals, perished in the airstrike. Amirabdollahian reiterated previous statements by the Iranian government that there would be swift retaliation for the attack but also singled out the United States and two unnamed European countries, saying they should also be held responsible. Amirabdollahian said the United States failed to condemn the attack and that silence should be construed as approval.

Have either the United States or Israel responded to these allegations? Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the airstrike, although the Pentagon has determined that Israel was indeed responsible. The Pentagon denied involvement in the attack, saying U.S. officials were not forewarned.

Dig deeper: Read William Inboden’s column in WORLD Opinions about the strength of U.S. support for Israel.