UN Condemns Attack on US Embassy in Syria

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is condemning "in the strongest terms" the attacks against the U.S. and French embassies in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

A statement approved Tuesday by all 15 council members said the attacks damaged the embassies and injured diplomatic personnel.

The council called on Syrian authorities to fulfill their obligation to protect "the inviolability of diplomatic missions" and staff as required under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari accused the United States and France of distorting and exaggerating the facts surrounding Monday’s demonstrations outside their embassies.

Nonetheless, he said Syrian law enforcement authorities "made every effort to ensure the safety of those embassies" and is committed to protecting embassies and diplomats.