Iran announced that it’s ending the military operations it carried out against Israeli civilian targets in the latest round of escalation, but said that continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon could be used by the regime as an excuse to continue targeting civilians in Israel and the region, which is a war crime.
According to a report by the Iranian news agency Fars, the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Headquarters issued an official statement saying Iranian forces completed their mission following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Dahieh district in Beirut. The statement claimed the operation was carried out “in support of Lebanon” and was meant to send a message to Israel and its allies.
The Iranian command said that “following the aggression of the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon and the Dahieh area, with American support, Iran’s forces gave a painful response to the regime.” The statement added that “accordingly, a halt to forceful operations is declared.”
But Tehran continued sabre-rattling on its dying legs, saying that this is only a conditional ceasefire. The statement threatened that if Israel continues military operations in Lebanon, particularly in the south of the country, Iran will respond with greater force. “It is emphasized that if the aggression continues, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and harsh measures will follow,” the statement said.
The Iranian declaration comes after a night of exchanges of fire, during which missiles were fired at Israeli civilians by Iran and the IDF struck terror targets in the Lebanon area. At this stage, there has been no official Israeli response to the Iranian announcement.