Tehran Threatens Retaliation After Beirut Strike as Israel Braces for Response

Hours after Israel struck Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district, Iranian officials issued threats against Israel, while Israeli security agencies said they were preparing for the possibility of Iranian missile fire. Earlier, the IDF said it had hit a Hezbollah headquarters in Dahiyeh that was being used to advance terror plots against Israeli civilians and IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon. According to the army, the strike came after Hezbollah launched aerial targets toward Israeli territory.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “The IDF attacked in response to Hezbollah’s fire toward Israeli territory.” Lebanese media reported at least three people killed and several others wounded in the attack.

The tone in Tehran hardened in parallel. Iranian lawmakers sharply attacked Israel and warned that “there must be no mistake in assessing the situation.” The head of Iran’s Security Committee said that if an agreement or understandings are sought, they must begin with restraining what he called the “Zionist regime” and forcing it to follow the rules of the game. “If this mad dog is not restrained, it will come back to bite us before the ink on the understandings dries,” he said.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia headquarters also threatened that “the crimes of the Zionist entity in Dahiyeh will not go unanswered,” a statement seen in Israel as another sign that Iran or its regional proxies could respond. Israeli security officials said that scenario had already been taken into account. Sources told N12 that they had anticipated the Iranian reaction based on previous incidents and were “prepared for every possibility.” Israeli and American officials also said Israel alerted U.S. Central Command shortly before the Beirut strike, underscoring concerns about a broader regional escalation.