Israeli, US Flags Burned In Tehran After Israel Strikes Iranian Consulate
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Furious protestors were seen burning American and Israeli flags in Iran on Tuesday, just hours after Tehran vowed revenge for a reported Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed at least a dozen people.
Two Iranian generals, five Iranian officers, four Syrian citizens, and a member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia were reported as victims of Monday’s attack, officials said.
Several others were wounded, and the consulate building was completely destroyed, according to several sources.
Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar condemned the strike as fears grow of a widening regional conflict.
The 22-state Arab League group slammed Israel, saying it aims to “expand the war and push the region to chaos.”
However, the United States, Israel’s closest ally, said Tuesday it did not know about the Israeli strike and played no role in the attack.
Yet the Iranian official news agency IRNA said Tuesday that Iran relayed an important message to the U.S. late Monday, delivered through a Swiss envoy in Tehran.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran, as Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic relations.
IRNA suggested that the message made clear that Iran holds the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, responsible for the strike.
It came as a U.S. defense official said that an attack drone was detected and destroyed by U.S. forces at Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria on Monday afternoon. No injuries and no damage to infrastructure were reported.
The drone was near the base, but it was unclear whether it was targeting the base, added the official who spoke anonymously amid security concerns.
With Iranian money and weapons, Hezbollah, as well as Hamas and other Palestinian groups, have been fighting Israel, which is conducting military operations in Gaza.
Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese border have increased since the war in Gaza began nearly six months ago.
Iran vowed to retaliate and said its Supreme National Security Council met on Monday to decide on a ‘required’ response to the strike. “We will make them regretful about the crime and similar acts,” warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei without elaborating.
DIRECT ATTACK
It was not clear if Iran would directly attack the U.S., risking a dangerous confrontation with Israel and Washington, or if it would continue to rely on proxies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
As tensions rose, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who received a call Tuesday from Iran’s foreign minister, condemned the strike on the Iranian Consulate.
He reaffirmed on Tuesday “the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” explained his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Guterres also said diplomatic personnel “must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.”
Israel had not commented on the strike, but the government has made clear it will crack down on “terrorism” and not allow anti-Israel Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
There has been concern about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, though Tehran insists it is for “peaceful purposes.”
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