Ismail Qaani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, issued a direct threat to Israel on Thursday, demanding an immediate withdrawal from all Lebanese territory. In a speech broadcast widely by Iran’s state media, he said Israel must leave Lebanon at once because, in his words, the country is “a field of steadfastness and resistance, not a playground for the occupiers.”
Qaani warned that if Israel does not leave voluntarily now, it will be forced out soon under military pressure and will flee “in shame, humiliation and crushing defeat.” His comments came amid heightened security tensions and ongoing fighting along Israel’s northern border. The Quds Force has long been a key channel for Iran’s logistical, financial and military support to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Iranian commander has largely stayed out of public view since the war began, appearing mainly through written statements and posts. In earlier messages, he praised the “resistance front” and threatened a harsh response to Israel, telling Hezbollah fighters, “You are on full alert, vigilant and ready,” and thanking them for what he called their exceptional efforts.
The remarks also come as reports clash over Israeli activity in southern Lebanon. An American official told Reuters that Israel had withdrawn from parts of southern Lebanon and was allowing the Lebanese army to deploy there, but senior Israeli security officials denied this, saying, “The IDF has not yet withdrawn from any place in the security zone” and that no political directive had been issued. The discrepancy has raised questions about whether the reports are part of U.S.-brokered pressure over talks in Washington that could lead to a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the IDF continues broad operations there, including exposing Hezbollah terror infrastructure. On Wednesday night, reserve Master Sgt. Basel Suweid, 32, of Peki’in, a driver in the 75th Battalion of the “Golan Fire” Division, was killed when his vehicle overturned near Raba al-Thalathine. Another soldier was moderately wounded.
