Former US Secretary of State John Kerry denied that he discussed alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. In a leaked audiotape that surfaced on Monday, Zarif said that he was surprised to learn from Kerry that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times.
Late on Monday Kerry denied the assertion, and noted that there have been numerous public reports of Israeli attacks on Iranian positions in Syria in recent years.
“I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened – either when I was Secretary of State or since,” Kerry tweeted.
Kerry currently serves as United States special presidential envoy for climate in the Biden administration.