The US anticipates Iran to mitigate its retaliation to the Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus, apprehensive that Washington might respond, sources informed Politico.

The US government expects that the Iranian response to the April 1 aggression will be "larger than usual," but not significant enough to elicit a reaction from Washington, according to two anonymous US officials cited by the news outlet on Thursday.

“We’re still in that window,” one source said, adding that the Iranians are “looking to calibrate it, so they essentially don’t overplay their hand.” However, the sources admitted that they were unsure if Tehran's potential actions could still trigger a US reaction. 

The Israeli airstrike on Tehran's diplomatic mission in Syria resulted in the martyrdom of seven members of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals. 

In response, the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, affirmed that "Israel" made a grave mistake by targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, highlighting that the attack is tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil. 

"The consulate and diplomatic missions in any country are considered to be the territory of that country. When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our soil.” He threatened the "wicked entity", saying that "it must and will be punished."

Earlier on Thursday, the US restricted movements of its diplomats in "Israel" over security fears, the embassy said, as concerns mount of Iranian retaliation over the Israeli aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate.

"Out of an abundance of caution, US government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel" outside the "Tel Aviv", al-Quds, and Beer al-Sabe' areas "until further notice," an embassy notice said, adding that "The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events."

On April 6, CNN cited a senior Biden administration official as saying that the United States is currently on high alert and actively preparing for a potentially "significant" Iranian attack. The official mentioned that senior American and Israeli officials believe that an Iranian attack is "inevitable".

According to CNN, both governments are intensely coordinating their efforts to position themselves ahead of the anticipated strike. They anticipate that Iran's response could manifest in various forms, putting both US and Israeli assets and personnel at risk.