Iran vows retaliation against israel after deadly attack on Damascus consulate

Khamenei issued a statement condemning the attack and promising punishment for the "usurping and despicable" israeli occupation. He stated, "Our courageous men will exact punishment upon the evil regime. We will ensure they regret this and other crimes, with the will of God."

This declaration comes after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced the Israeli aggression as a "new terrorist crime" and emphasized that the "Zionists will not achieve their goals." Raisi pledged that the "crime of attacking the consulate in Damascus will not go unanswered" and honored the martyrs, describing them as heroes of the holy defense.

In response to the incident, the United States asserted that it had no involvement or prior knowledge of the Israeli strike. A National Security Council spokesperson clarified that the US "had no involvement in the strike and did not know about it ahead of time." The US communicated this directly to Iran.

Israeli and US officials disclosed that Israel informed the Biden administration minutes before launching the strike, without seeking US approval. The Israeli jets were already airborne when the US received this information, and no details were provided about the specific target within the Iranian embassy compound. (ILKHA)