Iran’s joint armed forces command issued a public warning to Israel on Tuesday, saying continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon would trigger a serious military response from Tehran. The official statement said Iran’s military is prepared to act if the attacks do not stop, and warned Israel should expect a “strong” reply from Iranian forces.
The threat came as Iranian officials stressed that developments in Lebanon are tied to the wider confrontation with Israel. Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that, from Iran’s perspective, ending the fighting in Lebanon is one of the central conditions for ending the war involving Iran. He said the Lebanese front and the direct standoff between Tehran and Israel have “become somewhat interdependent,” making a halt to fighting in Lebanon a major strategic goal for Iran.
The remarks also come against the backdrop of talks between Iran and the United States over a new memorandum of understanding. Araghchi said the preliminary understandings include ending fighting across all fronts, along with other issues such as the Strait of Hormuz and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
Although the memorandum has not yet formally entered into force, the latest statements from Tehran suggest Iran wants to place the Lebanese arena at the center of the negotiations and use public threats of escalation to pressure Israel.
