Iranian president says attack on its consulate in Syria "will not go unanswered"
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April 2, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

By Chris Lau, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury, Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 0419 GMT (1219 HKT) April 3, 2024
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2:02 p.m. ET, April 2, 2024

Iranian president says attack on its consulate in Syria "will not go unanswered"

From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi, Alireza Hajhosseini and Celine Alkhaldi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi makes a speech at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on January 24.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi makes a speech at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on January 24. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu/Getty Images

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday blamed Israel for an attack on Tehran’s consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, saying it “will not go unanswered,” state news agency IRNA reported.

“The Zionists should know that they will never achieve their sinister goals with such inhumane actions, and day by day they have witnessed the strengthening of the resistance front and the disgust and hatred of free nations against their illegitimate nature. This cowardly crime will not go unanswered,” Raisi said, according to IRNA.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced after a meeting with Raisi on Monday that “appropriate decisions” were made in response to the attack, IRNA reported.

The attack killed at least seven officials including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Israel's military said it does not comment on foreign reports, but its spokesperson told CNN the consulate was a "military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building."

9:20 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

White House is "deeply troubled" by killing of aid workers in Gaza, US National Security Council says

From CNN's Arlette Saenz

The White House is “heartbroken and deeply troubled” by a strike that killed at least seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza and is urging Israel to investigate the incident, a spokesperson for the National Security Council says.

“We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike that that killed @WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson posted on X late Monday night.

“Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened.”

Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, according to the non-profit. US officials have been in contact with Israeli officials about the strike, a US official said.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.

 

5:21 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

Warsaw confirms Polish aid worker killed in Gaza and demands "urgent explanations"

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Antonia Mortensen

Poland's foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that a Polish national who was a volunteer with the non-profit World Central Kitchen was killed in Gaza. 

"We express our sincerest condolences to the family of the volunteer who provided aid to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip," the Polish Foreign Ministry said in a post on social media. "Poland does not agree with the lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers," the ministry said. 

The volunteer, Damian Soból, was from the Polish town of Przemyśl, according to the town's mayor.  

Soból is among at least seven aid workers who were killed in an Israeli military strike while delivering food to civilians in Gaza, according to World Central Kitchen and authorities in the enclave. Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, according to the non-profit.

Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he had "personally" asked the Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne for "urgent explanations."

"He assured me that Poland would soon receive the results of the investigation into this tragedy," Sikorski said, adding Poland's Ministry of Justice has opened its own investigation. 

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.

 

2:08 p.m. ET, April 2, 2024

International humanitarian organizations mourn aid workers killed in Gaza

From CNN’s Eve Brennan, Manveena Suri and Benjamin Brown

Aid organizations around the world on Tuesday mourned the killing of seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza.

The director of the World Food Programme in Palestine praised their “life-saving” work in a post on X.

“In #Gaza, nearly half the population faces imminent famine. Courageous aid-workers in the food security sector provide truly life-saving #food assistance, while also bravely managing terrible risks each day. They should not have to… Humanitarians are #NotATarget,” Matthew Hollingworth wrote.

Open Arms, a non-profit rescue organization, called their deaths “Irreparable human losses.” 

“We are devastated. We came together to help in a place where hunger is a weapon of war, and now the teams of our colleagues @WCKitchen in #Gaza are the target. Irreparable human losses in a place where humanity is being destroyed. RIP,” Open Arms said in a post on X.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, expressed grief over the repeated deaths of aid workers in the conflict.

“We are mourning with our colleagues in WCK(World Central Kitchen). 7 of their aid workers were killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. WCK had informed the IDF of their movement. Nowhere else are so many aid workers killed. There must be an immediate ceasefire. Enough now,” he wrote on X. 

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), expressed his condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims.

“Devastated by the killing of 7 humanitarian workers in #Gaza when their convoy was reportedly hit by the Israeli Forces. The @WCK provides much needed food assistance to a starving population. Humanitarian workers are #NotATarget . My deepest condolences to @WCK & families of those killed,” he wrote wrote on X.

The aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike, according to WCK and authorities in Gaza.

Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, according to the non-profit.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.

 

5:20 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

China says it is shocked by killing of aid workers in Gaza

From CNN’s Hassan Tayir and Manveena Suri

Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China on March 12.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China on March 12. Johannes Neudecker/dpa/Getty Images

China has condemned the killing of seven people working for non-profit World Central Kitchen in Gaza.

The aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike, according to the charity and authorities in Gaza.

"China opposes all acts that harm civilians, damage civilian facilities, and violate international law," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.
China was "shocked by the attack," he added. 

He said civilians "should not be targeted, and the safety of international humanitarian aid workers should not be threatened."

He also urged all parties, “especially Israel,” to “fulfil their obligations under the UN Charter, cease fire immediately… and make every effort to protect civilians, hospitals and other civilian facilities specially protected by the Geneva Conventions."

Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, according to the non-profit.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.

 

5:11 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

China condemns attack on Iranian consulate in Syria

From CNN's Hassan Tayir in Hong Kong

China has condemned a deadly strike on Iran's consulate in Syria, which Tehran blamed on Israel.

"The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.
"The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent, and we oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tension," he said.

Iran has vowed to retaliate after the bombing, which is a deadly escalation of regional tensions over the war in Gaza that has appeared to raise the risk of a wider Middle Eastern conflict.

5:48 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

UK says it is urgently seeking further information on death of British aid worker

From CNN’s Manveena Suri

The UK is “urgently seeking further information” on the death of a British aid worker killed in Gaza, its foreign office said on Tuesday.

The British national was one of seven aid workers working with non-profit World Central Kitchen (WCK) who were killed by an Israeli airstrike, according to the charity and authorities in Gaza.

“We are aware of reports of the death of British National in Gaza and are urgently seeking further information,” a spokesperson from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.

The office called for International Humanitarian Law to be respected and civilians to be protected, saying too many civilians have been killed and that they wanted to see greater care to avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

Those killed include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, the non-profit said.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.

 

3:43 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

Strike on Iran's consulate in Syria escalates Middle East tensions. Here's what we know

By CNN's Helen Regan, Hamdi Alkhshali and Tamara Qiblawi

Emergency and security personnel inspect the site of a strike that hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus on April 1.
Emergency and security personnel inspect the site of a strike that hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus on April 1. Ammar Ghali/Anadolu/Getty Images

Iran has vowed to retaliate after a bombing of its embassy complex in Syria that it blamed on Israel — a deadly escalation of regional tensions over the war in Gaza that appeared to raise the risk of a wider Middle Eastern conflict.

Here's what we know about the attack:

Who was killed in the strike? The strike killed at least seven officials, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Zahedi is the most high-profile Iranian target killed since former US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

How may Iran respond? Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani warned that Tehran “preserves the right to take reciprocal measures and will decide the type of response and punishment against the aggressor.”

Iran’s most powerful paramilitary ally, Hezbollah, warned that Israel would pay for the attack. Hezbollah has been embroiled in daily crossfire with Israeli forces since the war in Gaza started.

Israel's military said it does not comment on foreign reports, but its spokesperson told CNN the consulate was a "military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building."

How does the strike escalate regional tensions? While Israel has long targeted Iran and its proxies in Syria, its alleged attack in Damascus is a significant escalation due to both the location and the target. The consulate building, which includes the ambassador’s residence and is located next to the Iranian Embassy, is considered sovereign Iranian territory.

Read the full story.

5:19 a.m. ET, April 2, 2024

Gaza Civil Defense condemns killing of aid workers, holds Israel accountable

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Duarte Mendonca

A view of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza, on April 2.
A view of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza, on April 2. Ahmed Zakot/Reuters

Gaza’s General Directorate of Civil Defense has condemned the “targeting” of non-profit World Central Kitchen's aid workers after seven were killed in a strike, and said it held the Israeli government accountable.

“We hold the occupation accountable for the consequences of targeting working crews protected by international humanitarian law, and we demand the opening of an immediate and fair investigation under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations,” the statement said Tuesday. 

The directorate said World Central Kitchen has “a major role in providing and securing aid and food for our people in the Gaza Strip and providing food and clothing for the displaced near the checkpoint.”

The statement called for the protection of aid workers in line with international law.

“We extend our condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the World Food Kitchen staff, and we thank them for their stand with the Palestinian people,” it said.

The directorate also called for the protection of aid workers in line with international law.

At least seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday, according to the aid group.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting a thorough review” of the incident.