The United States vehemently denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility that killed senior Revolutionary Guards officers in Damascus on April 1, 2024. The Biden administration informed Iran through back channels that the attack was a surprise to Washington, a Pentagon official said. In an indirect rebuke to Israel, another senior U.S. official questioned the validity of target, even if Iranian military personnel were working there. “Diplomatic missions and their property, as well as official diplomatic residences, must be protected, even and especially in times of armed conflict,” Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, said on April 2.
At the same time, the United States warned Iran against further inflaming regional tensions. “Terrorists and other armed groups, some backed by the Syrian regime and Iran, have used Syrian territory to plot and launch attacks on Israel and U.S. facilities and personnel,” Wood told an emergency meeting called by the U.N. Security Council. Iran’s network of allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance—Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen—have escalated attacks on Israel as well as U.S. military personnel deployed in the Middle East and maritime shipping in the Red Sea.
“As we gather details, one thing is clear: Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region,” Wood said. “Indeed, since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the United States has repeatedly warned Iran not to take advantage of the situation to escalate its longstanding proxy war against Israel and other actors. Iran has ignored that warning. Terrorists and other armed groups, some backed by the Syrian regime and Iran, have used Syrian territory to plot and launch attacks on Israel and U.S. facilities and personnel.” The following are excerpts of statements by senior U.S. officials.
President Joe Biden on April 10
“As I told prime minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel's security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is iron clad. Let me say it again, iron-clad. We're gonna do all we can to protect Israel's security.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 2
“We’re working very closely together to avoid an escalation, be it in Lebanon, in Iraq, or in Syria; or be it in the Red Sea, or in Yemen, et cetera. And with respect to the strikes in Syria, we are trying to ascertain the facts. We are in the process of learning exactly what happened, and we are continuing to work to understand the details. But we are working everyday together – France and the United States, especially in Lebanon – to avoid that there be a conflict between the parties, a conflict about which we are convinced neither the Israelis, neither Hizballah, neither Lebanon want, or neither Iran.”
National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby on April 2
“I can’t predict what the Supreme Leader and what the IRGC will decide to do or not…Let me make it clear: We had nothing to do with the strike in Damascus. We weren’t involved in any way whatsoever. So, the comments by the Iranian Foreign Minister that somehow we’re to be held to account or that we’re to blame is just nonsense. We had nothing to do with it.
“We will, as we always have, take our force protection very seriously to protect our troops and our facilities in Iraq and Syria. And as we have demonstrated in the past, as President Biden has made very, very clear through the actions he has ordered, we will do what we need to do to protect those troops and facilities.”
Ambassador Robert Wood on April 2
“As the White House has stated, the United States had no involvement in the reported strike yesterday in Syria, neither did we know about it ahead of time. We have communicated this directly to Iran. We cannot confirm any information about this event. As we gather details, one thing is clear: Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region.
“Indeed, since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the United States has repeatedly warned Iran not to take advantage of the situation to escalate its longstanding proxy war against Israel and other actors.
“Iran has ignored that warning. Terrorists and other armed groups, some backed by the Syrian regime and Iran, have used Syrian territory to plot and launch attacks on Israel and U.S. facilities and personnel.
“Along the Blue Line, the Iranian-backed and armed Hizballah attacks Israel regularly. In the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthis have violated international law and repeatedly attacked commercial and merchant vessels. Iranian backed groups also have attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq and attacked U.S. military personnel engaged in the fight against ISIL (Da’esh). Iran’s hand is evident in the actions of all of these terrorist and proxy and partner groups. We have repeatedly warned the Syrian regime to curb Iran’s destabilizing actions on its territory.
“We also have longstanding concerns regarding the use of Syrian territory to launch attacks on neighboring countries. For example, on March 31, an Israeli fighter jet reportedly intercepted a suspicious aerial target making its way toward Israel from the direction of Syria. And on numerous occasions since October 7, we have seen rockets, armed drones, and other weaponry being launched from Syrian territory toward Israeli positions in and around the Golan Heights.
“We have taken steps in self-defense to respond to attacks on U.S. military personnel conducting operations against Da’esh in Syria and Iraq. We will not hesitate to defend our personnel and repeat our prior warnings to Iran and its proxies not to take advantage of this situation – again, an attack in which we had no involvement or advanced knowledge – to resume their attacks on U.S. personnel.
“Even as we continue to learn more about this incident, it seems clear that every member of this Council should reiterate that all States, including Iran and Syria, have a responsibility to avoid the path of escalation, to stop arming and advising terrorist groups, and to rein in the actions of proxies who threaten regional peace and security.
“Two final points. I want to be clear: we do not yet have confirmation of the status of the building that was struck in Damascus. Any confirmed attack on a property that was in fact a diplomatic facility would be of concern to the United States. Diplomatic missions and their property, as well as official diplomatic residences, must be protected, even and especially in times of armed conflict. As I noted earlier, we also are concerned by reports that terrorist leaders and elements were allegedly present at this facility, and condemn Iran’s continued coordination, training, and arming of terrorists and other violent extremists.
“We are saddened and gravely concerned by reports of an IDF air strike on the World Central Kitchen Convoy. This incident is yet a further reminder that Israel needs to do much more to protect humanitarian personnel and facilities in Gaza. It is unacceptable and inexplicable that nearly six months into this conflict, Israeli military deconfliction mechanisms are not functioning appropriately. We join other countries who lost citizens in this incident in calling for a transparent and comprehensive investigation. This must not happen again.
Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh on April 2
“We've made it very clear in private channels to Iran that we were not responsible for the strike that happened in Damascus. I will reiterate, the U.S. had no involvement in that strike. And we had no knowledge about it ahead of time.”
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on April 1
“Of course, we are always concerned about anything that would be escalatory or cause an increase in conflict in the region. It has been one of the goals of this administration since October 7th to keep the conflict from spreading, recognizing that Israel has a – the right to defend itself from adversaries that are sworn to its destruction.”