Iran's Foreign Minister accuses U.S. of giving Israel 'green light' to attack consulate in Syria

Iran accuses U.S. of allowing Israel to strike its consulate in Syria, escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Iran's Foreign Minister on April 8 accused the United States of giving Israel the “green light” for a strike on its consulate building in Syria that killed seven Iranian military officials including two generals.

Hossein Amirabdollahian reiterated Tehran's vows that it will respond to the attack, widely blamed on Israel, that appeared to signify an escalation of Israel's targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an address on April 8 reiterated the Iran-backed group's support for a Tehran military response to the attack that killed Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior military official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, and worsened fears of the war spiraling into the rest of the Middle East.

Since the war in Gaza began six months ago, clashes have increased between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Hamas, which rules Gaza and attacked Israel on Oct. 7, is also backed by Iran, as well as an umbrella group of Iraqi militias targeting U.S. military bases and positions in Syria and Iraq.

Though Israel has regularly conducted strikes targeting Iranian military officials and allies, Zahedi's death was the most significant blow for Tehran since a U.S. drone targeted and killed Quds Force chief Gen. Qassim Soleimani in 2020 in Baghdad.

“I'd like to say with a very loud voice from here in Damascus that America has a responsibility in what happened and must be held responsible," Amirabdollahian told reporters in Damascus during a visit where he met his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, who condemned both the strike and Israel's offensive in Gaza. Amirabdollahian also met President Bashar Assad, with whom he discussed Gaza and the wider situation in the region, a statement from Assad's office said.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, who earlier that day inaugurated the opening of a new consular section in a nearby building, justified his claims by saying that Washington and “two European countries” did not condemn the attack on the diplomatic building.