Esmail Qa'ani Says Quds Force Will Make Bab al-Mandeb Like Strait of Hormuz

Brigadier General Esmail Qa'ani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, carried out under U.S. support, will strengthen the axis of resistance’s resolve to widen support for both fronts and activate additional confrontation fronts.

Qa'ani said the upcoming military plans include making the maritime situation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait similar to the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, in response to continued Israeli crimes and violations backed by Washington.

Mehr News Agency

In a message carried by IRNA, Qa’ani emphasized that the “simultaneous crimes in southern Lebanon and Gaza” will trap the “miserable Zionist regime” in the “whirlpool of Hezbollah operations” and another wave of Palestinian Mujahideen.

The same IRNA account said the commander linked the move to escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon and described Sunday night attacks on towns and villages in southern Lebanon as occurring more than 36 times, killing 12 people and wounding 35 others.

While Qa'ani’s message focused on Bab al-Mandeb and Hormuz, the reports also described U.S. President Donald Trump posting on Truth Social that he had a “very constructive contact” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that “no force would be sent to Beirut,” with any force on the way already withdrawn.

The same account said Trump claimed that through senior representatives he had a “very good contact with Hezbollah” and that they accepted that “all shooting would stop,” that Israel would not attack them and they would not attack Israel.

SWI swissinfo.ch

In parallel, the reports said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and defense minister stated in a joint statement that they had ordered the Israeli army to bombard targets in south Beirut, with Netanyahu and Israel Katz saying the decision followed Hezbollah’s continued attacks on Zionist targets and Zionist-populated cities.

The BBC framed the broader incident as a deadly industrial accident in Bangladesh, but the Iran-related coverage here centered on Qa'ani’s threat to align Bab al-Mandeb’s navigation with Hormuz and on the diplomatic claims involving Trump, Netanyahu, and Hezbollah.

Multiple outlets tied Qa'ani’s warning to potential disruption of strategic sea lanes by saying the navigational situation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait could be made comparable to the Strait of Hormuz as long as Israeli operations against Lebanon and Gaza continue.

“Listeners: Top listeners: Skip previous, Play, Skip next”

Aksbras Af Am

One report said the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, DC announced that Lebanese authorities had received confirmation of Hezbollah's agreement to an American proposal calling for a mutual halt to attacks with Israel, with the proposed arrangement including stopping Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacking Israel.

That same account added that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the Lebanese ambassador and told her that he had obtained the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the proposed arrangement, and it said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun informed Hezbollah of the results of the discussions.

The report also described negotiations scheduled to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss progress and build on it, while Qa'ani’s message warned that the “axis of resistance” would activate other fronts and align Bab al-Mandeb’s traffic conditions with Hormuz.