Israel bombs Lebanon minutes after Iran's retaliation warning
Within one minute of publishing an article covering the end to fighting between Israel and Iran, Israel is setting the stage for a fresh exchange of fighting.
Israel has resumed heavy airstrikes on southern Lebanon within minutes of Iran announcing the cessation of its retaliatory operations, directly testing the new equation Tehran has placed on the table: any attack on Lebanon means missiles. Video shows scenes in Burj el-Shemali following these Israeli strikes.
Iran warned Israel that any attacks on Lebanon would be treated as an attack on Iran itself, and would come with retaliation. It’s clear Israel is testing how serious Iran are about that claim, just one day after they last tested an Iranian red line, which led to renewed hostilities.
A senior Israeli official confirmed to Channel 12 that Israel is halting attacks on Iran at Trump’s request. The southern Lebanon campaign, however, will continue “with full force in the coming days.” The official also threatened to bomb Beirut’s suburb Dahiyeh again if attacks on Israeli settlements continue, essentially asserting the right to be the only party permitted to strike civilian areas, on pain of striking more of them.
Until Israeli warplanes struck southern Lebanon this afternoon, we had recorded no Hezbollah rocket fire today. Immediately following the Israeli attack in the last few minutes, Hezbollah launched retaliatory strikes into Kiryat Shmona.
It is clear Israel wants war, there is no other way to read these actions. Israel is manufacturing the condition it needs to hit Beirut, if we are to believe the words shared by the Israeli official, we can expect this to trigger a chain reaction of responses.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to the overnight exchange with a measured but unambiguous statement: “We will not retreat in the face of any threat. Diplomacy and defense are the two wings of national power; we have neither abandoned the field nor the negotiating table.”
Iran’s position is now a matter of public record. It has established a standing equation, warned of consequences, demonstrated its willingness to follow through, and announced a halt. Israel has responded by bombing Lebanon within the hour.
We are now in a situation where Israel will not stop bombing Lebanon, Iran promises it will not stop bombing Israel for bombing Lebanon and Israel will not stop bombing Lebanon for Iran bombing Israel.
Iran has now closed their airspace, signalling a new retaliation to Israel may be imminent.
The only route to peace is Israel halting their operations, but they have no desire to do so.