US braces for retaliation after attack on Iran consulate — even as it says it wasn’t involved

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top U.S. commander in the Middle East is acknowledging concern about retaliatory attacks on American forces there. That’s after airstrikes widely attributed to U.S. ally Israel killed commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Monday in Syria. The U.S. says it was quick to tell Iran it played no role in the strike. But Iran’s leaders have warned Americans they would be held “accountable.” U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have been frequent targets for Iranian-allied militias there. The top U.S. Air Force commander in the region, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, says the strike in Syria could end a pause in attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria that’s held since early February.