Iran threatens to retaliate after Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut Dahieh | Today’s news
Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran’s parliament’s national security committee, warned of retaliation after Israel’s latest strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, writing on X that Iran would “provide a decisive and painful response to the Zionist regime’s attack on Dahieh.”
In a message to Israel, Rezaei told his followers to “watch the skies” over Israel tonight, signaling the possibility of a response from Iran or its regional allies.
Israel attacked Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut
Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday (7 June), targeting what Israeli officials described as a Hezbollah command center in Dahieh, a Shiite neighborhood widely considered a Hezbollah stronghold.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was carried out in response to Hezbollah firing rockets towards northern Israel earlier in the day.
“The strike was ordered after Hezbollah fired at Israel,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would continue to attack Beirut whenever Hezbollah attacked northern Israeli communities.
At least two people were killed and about a dozen others wounded in the attack, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
Ceasefire efforts under pressure
The attack marked the first Israeli strike on the Beirut suburbs since the United States announced a Lebanese ceasefire last week.
The proposal came after US President Donald Trump reportedly pressed Netanyahu to scale back military operations in Lebanon to preserve diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the wider regional conflict.
Trump was to reprimand Netanyahu during a phone call last week and then announced a partial truce in which Israel agreed not to attack Beirut while Hezbollah halted attacks on Israeli border towns.
On Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon reached a broader ceasefire agreement that called on Hezbollah to halt attacks and withdraw fighters from areas south of the Litani River.
But Hezbollah rejected the terms on Thursday, insisting it would not give up its weapons or positions unless Israel completely halts military operations and withdraws from Lebanese territory.
As a result, the ceasefire remained largely unenforced.
Iran links the fighting in Lebanon to broader negotiations
Iran has repeatedly said that any broader peace deal with the United States depends on a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon.
The latest escalation threatens the already fragile diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran.
President Trump recently suggested that negotiations remain close to a deal, but warned of consequences if talks fail.
“We’re very close to a deal or I’m going to blow the hell out of them,” Trump told NBC News.
Iranian officials say continued Israeli operations undermine diplomatic efforts and demonstrate a lack of commitment to negotiated solutions.
Tensions are escalating in the Strait of Hormuz
The wider conflict remained at a standstill as the United States and Israel suspended direct attacks on Iran in early April.
Since then, Tehran has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, while Washington maintains pressure on Iran’s maritime activities.
Military confrontations continued despite ongoing negotiations.
US forces struck Iran’s radar facilities in Goruk and Qeshm Island on Saturday after intercepting drones that US officials said were threatening maritime traffic in the strait.
The US military later announced the downing of two more Iranian drones.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by firing missiles at US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to Iranian statements.
The Kuwaiti military said seven ballistic missiles flew over populated areas, causing material damage but no casualties.
Qalibaf warns US bases are ‘legitimate targets’
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a separate warning on Sunday, accusing Washington and Israel of violating ceasefire commitments and escalating the conflict.
“They are not committed to a ceasefire, nor do they believe in dialogue, and through the naval blockade and violation of agreements regarding Lebanon, they have shown that they only understand the language of power,” Qalibaf wrote on X.
He added that US military installations and Israeli assets in the Middle East had become “legitimate targets” as a result of what he described as continued aggression.
Read also | US, Iran exchange fire as tensions persist in Hormuz
