Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya, the central headquarters of the armed forces, said Tuesday evening that Israel should expect “a harsh response” if it does not stop attacking southern Lebanon. The warning came after reports in Lebanon of at least four people killed in several Israeli strikes in the south, while Israeli security officials voiced concern that the Trump administration could order a withdrawal from Lebanon and the army is still waiting for political guidance on how to proceed.
The IDF is on high alert over the possibility that a withdrawal order could come from the White House. At the same time, forces are preparing to continue operations and are waiting until Friday for explicit instructions from the political leadership on the next steps in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Air Force struck more than 10 targets across Lebanon on Tuesday.
Hezbollah sources also claimed on Tuesday that they had received assurances from Iran that Tehran would demand an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in the next round of talks with the United States. Hezbollah said, “Iran promised that no nuclear deal with the United States will be signed unless Israel withdraws from Lebanon.” According to Hezbollah’s information office, as reported by Reuters, such a withdrawal would be the result of continued talks between the countries, not a precondition for them.
After the Air Force strike in Beirut’s Dahiya district earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked him, “What the hell are you doing?” Trump later wrote on Truth that “the attack on Beirut should not have happened, especially on a special day when we are so close to a peace agreement with Iran.” An unnamed senior American official later said the deal does not include an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and that Israel would retain the right to self-defense against Hezbollah.
