US tells Iran it was not involved in embassy

US tells Iran it was not involved in embassy airstrike

The US has told Iran that it was not involved in an airstrike on its embassy in Syria, the White House has said. 

Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian building in Damascus, killing a top military commander and marking a major escalation in Middle East tensions. 

Israel has not commented on the attack, but the US military believes the country carried out the airstrike. 

"We communicated to Iran that the US had no involvement in the strike that happened in Damascus and we have warned Iran not to use this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region or to attack US facilities or personnel," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. 

The US has been on high alert about possible retaliatory strikes from Iran, and US envoys have been working urgently to try to lower tensions. 

"Obviously, we don't want this conflict to spread," Ms Jean-Pierre said.