The White House has conveyed to Iran that it was not involved in an alleged Israeli air strike last week in Damascus that killed a top Iranian military commander.

“We communicated to Iran that the US had no involvement in the strike that happened in Damascus, and we have warned Iran not to use this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region or to attack U.S. facilities or personnel,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.

As per Reuters, the US has been on high alert for the inevitability of an Iranian counterstrike following the assassination of Iranian commander Reza Zahedi and his deputy earlier this month. However, the response will be “controlled” and “non-escalatory,” according to an Iranian source. The terror state allegedly plans to rely on regional proxies like Hezbollah to target Israel rather than risk a direct attack.

The Washington Journal reports that US intelligence agencies fear the strike could happen on Israeli soil and come within the next coming days, possibly in the next 24-48 hours. As a precaution, the American Embassy in Israel announced on Thursday that its employees and their family members would be restricted from any personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice.