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Beirut strike triggers threats
Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, after the Israeli military said the operation targeted a “high-value” asset and came in response to rockets fired by Hezbollah toward Israeli settlements.
“Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declaring that Tehran and its allies would respond through "the language of force."”
Tehran warned the strikes could trigger a broader confrontation, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declaring that Tehran and its allies would respond through “the language of force.”
Lebanese reports said at least two people were killed and 11 others wounded in the attack, while Israeli media reported the Army moved to its highest state of alert amid concerns over a possible Iranian response.
The warnings arrived as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to meet later tonight with Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior security officials to assess developments and threats linked to Lebanon and Iran.
In parallel, the Israeli military said it had moved to its highest state of alert and that the strike on Dahiyeh targeted a “high-value” asset, according to Shafaq News-Tehran Iran.
Retaliation rhetoric and alerts
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, condemned the strike and wrote on X, “We will deliver a decisive and painful response to the Zionist regime’s attack on Dahiyeh,” adding: “Watch the skies over the occupied territories tonight.”
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the United States and Israel of violating ceasefire understandings and abandoning diplomacy, writing on X, “They are neither committed to a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue.”
Israeli outlets said Israeli forces were placed on heightened alert following the threats from Iranian officials, and Israeli media reported the Army had moved to its highest state of alert amid concerns over a possible Iranian response.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and command facilities in Dahiyeh, while Lebanese media reported multiple explosions across the area.
The exchange of warnings raised fresh doubts about efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and broader diplomatic attempts to ease tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States, according to the Kashmir Observer account.
What’s at stake next
Iran’s top negotiator framed the escalation as a shift in what could be targeted, saying the U.S. naval blockade and Washington’s “green light” for Israel to escalate attacks in Lebanon make U.S. bases and Israeli assets in the Middle East “legitimate targets.”
“make U.S. bases and Israeli assets in the Middle East legitimate targets”
The France 24 report said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards called the attack a “warning” and threatened that if “such aggressions are repeated, the responses will be broader and will cover all US-Zionist targets in the region.”
The same France 24 account said the raid killed two people and wounded 20 more, citing Lebanon’s health ministry, while it also described an April 8 ceasefire that had halted major hostilities but efforts to turn the truce into a settlement that repeatedly stalled.
Diplomatic efforts were still mentioned alongside the threats, with Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran and delivering a “special letter” from Pakistan’s army chief to Iran’s supreme leader, according to Iranian state television.
At the same time, the France 24 report said Mohsen Rezaei told CNN that negotiations with the U.S. “are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock,” while Trump said he would not unfreeze Iranian assets before reaching an initial agreement with Tehran.