Quds Force Chief Threatens Israel as Washington Talks Enter Final Day

Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani issued a direct threat to Israel on Thursday, the final day of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. He said, “If Israel does not withdraw voluntarily from southern Lebanon today, it will be forced to leave tomorrow defeated.”

His remarks came amid a Reuters report, citing a senior U.S. State Department official, that the Israel Defense Forces had partially withdrawn from part of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Israel denied the report, as did a senior Lebanese official, who said Beirut had no knowledge of any Israeli withdrawal from the buffer-zone area. Earlier this week, N12 said Israel might offer a pilot plan for a partial withdrawal during the talks, but that such a move had not yet happened.

The unnamed American official said Lebanon’s army must now enter the evacuated area and remove weapons and terror infrastructure. He called the reported Israeli step “a significant demonstration of goodwill toward the legitimate government of Lebanon,” though he did not say how much territory was involved or where exactly any withdrawal took place.

The report also said Iran is separately working to reinforce Hezbollah’s ranks after heavy losses in manpower, command structures, and fighters killed in the war with the IDF. N12 said Tehran has launched a recruitment drive in the streets of Tehran, offering monthly salaries of $1,000, far above Iran’s roughly $140 minimum wage. The campaign is aimed mainly at Basij members, ideological volunteers, and young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who are expected to show physical fitness, deep religious commitment, courage, and discipline.