The United States warned Iran against using the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus as a “pretext to target its interests,” according to CNN, citing a US State Department spokesman.

The spokesman said that the warning came in response to a message from Iran, and did not provide details about its content, nor about the American response or how it was conveyed to Iran.

The spokesman added: "As Iran has publicly indicated, we received a message from them. We responded by warning Iran against using this as a pretext to attack US personnel and facilities."

A high-ranking official in the US administration described his country's warning to Iran as saying, "Don't think about it."

The official added that the United States is on "high alert and is actively preparing for a major attack by Iran that may occur as soon as next week," targeting Israeli or American interests in the region in response to the attack in which prominent leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed.

Earlier, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby confirmed that the United States was in no way involved in the Israeli strike that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

According to media reports, Israeli officials have confirmed that they have intelligence information indicating that Iran may attack Israel from its territory using long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or drones.