Iran Threatens Response to Israel’s Beirut Strike
Iran’s military has threatened retaliation after the Israeli regime struck the Dahiyeh district of Beirut on Sunday, killing three people and wounding 15 others.
The Deputy Commander of Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiyaa Central Headquarters said “the Zionist aggression against Beirut will not be left unanswered.” The statement mirrors the warning Iran issued the last time Israel struck the Lebanese capital, a warning it followed through on.
The strikes came on the day U.S. President Donald Trump claimed a memorandum of understanding between the USA and Iran would be signed, ending a war that has been ongoing since February. Iran has been explicit that the memorandum must cover the conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon. Israel has been equally explicit that it will not honour that condition.
Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that the IDF is now preparing for the possibility of an Iranian response. Axios has claimed that Israel informed the U.S. regime in advance of the strikes, a claim Israeli officials will not confirm. We would normally refrain from using Axios claims, due to their admission to producing propaganda, but the disagreement between U.S. and Israeli propaganda outlets is a significant shift from the norm.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the strike had “once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfil its commitments or the ability to do so,” adding that “by giving the green light to the regime, you cannot gain concessions.” A senior U.S. diplomat told Fox News the strike was a “clear attempt” by Israel to sabotage the deal. Good cop, bad cop, except Iran has seen this before and is not playing along.
Iran has not yet struck. When it last did so in response to a Beirut attack, the escalation was immediate. The memorandum has not been signed. The city Iran says must be protected for any deal to exist is now under Israeli bombs, and Tehran has said that will not go unanswered.
We are still in the circle of Israel refusing to stop strikes on Lebanon, and Iran refusing to stop strikes on Israel for their strikes on Lebanon. We will not move closer to peace if the USA cannot stop Israel’s attacks.