US warns Iran not to target it over Syria strike

The US warned Iran on Tuesday not to retaliate against it for an attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria, telling the UN Security Council it had no prior warning of the strike that Tehran has blamed on Washington's ally Israel.

The strike on Monday - that Iran said killed two of its generals and five military advisers - marked one of the most significant attacks yet on Iranian interests in Syria, where Israel has stepped up a campaign against Iran.

"We will not hesitate to defend our personnel and repeat our prior warnings to Iran and its proxies not to take advantage of the situation - again, an attack in which we had no involvement or advanced knowledge - to resume their attacks on US personnel," said deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.