American School Closed in Syria After Attack

2008-10-29 04:02:15 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - World News)

Wired PR News — An American school in Damascus was closed on Tuesday after a U.S. raid of an Iraqi village, as reported by the Associated Press. The attack, which reportedly killed an operative of al-Qaida, was criticized by both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.

Students and parents of children attending the school and cultural center located in close proximity to the United States Embassy were reportedly not told of the school’s closing beforehand, and some members of the staff are expected to be in attendance Wednesday due to not being notified of the decision. At the time of the report, the U.S. government had not received official notification of the closings either.

Following the assassination of former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri, in 2005, relations between the United States and Syria have been strained. The U.S. called for a boycott on the nation due to alleged ties to terrorist groups and purported contributions to the destabilization of Lebanon.

Syria called for the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to take action against the U.S. for the recent attack.