Several countries condemn Israeli attack on Iranian consulate in Syria

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement on Tuesday condemning Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria and vowed revenge. He mourned the loss of Iranian military personnel, and stated that Israel would be punished and that Iran would make Israel regret its actions.

Khamenei's political advisor Ali Shamkhani said in a post on X that the United States "remains directly responsible whether or not it was aware of the intention to carry out this attack."

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that the country had sent an "important" message to the U.S. government after Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate building in Syria.

The Israeli attack "killed a number of Iran's official military advisers in Syria," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that Director-General of the Department of America at the Iranian Foreign Ministry Issa Kameli summoned an official of the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, at 00:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the Iranian Foreign Ministry official elaborated on the dimensions of Israel's "terrorist attack and crime" and highlighted the U.S. government's responsibility, Amir-Abdollahian said.

Countries condemn Israeli attack 

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier in the day, denouncing the action as "unacceptable."

"We consider any attacks on diplomatic and consular facilities, the inviolability of which is guaranteed by the relevant Vienna Conventions, to be categorically unacceptable," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia strongly urges the Israeli leadership to abandon the practice of provocative military actions in Syria and other neighboring countries, the ministry added.

China also condemned the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria.

"The security of diplomatic institutions is inviolable, and Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday.

The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent, and China opposes any actions that escalate tensions, Wang added.

The missile attack occurred at about 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Monday when Israel launched an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting the consulate building of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.

(With input from Xinhua)