Iran issues warning to Israel if they attack Lebanon

Tehran: A coalition of Iran and its regional allies, known as "all Resistance Fronts," issued a warning to Israel on Saturday threatening to confront any attack on Lebanon.

Iran's embassy in New York made the comment amid concerns about a potential regional conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. Since the start of the Gaza War, there have been almost constant exchanges between the two sides.

This month, these discussions have intensified along with aggressive rhetoric from both parties. After the Israeli military declared that plans for an offensive in Lebanon had been "approved and validated," Hezbollah retorted that none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict.

In a post on social media platform X, the Iranian mission said it "deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime's propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon".

But, it added, "should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue. All options, incl. the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table.”

When Hamas Palestinian militants invaded southern Israel in October, the Gaza War broke out. Iran, a country that supports Hamas, has acknowledged the success of the attack but denied any role in it.

In what they claim to be acts of solidarity with the Palestinians, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea region on multiple occasions, coinciding with Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel. Iran supports other regional groups as well, AFP reported.

Since the 1979 revolution that overthrew Iran's shah, which was supported by the United States, the Islamic Republic has refused to recognise Israel. In April, fears of a regional conflict also increased following an airstrike that destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus and claimed the lives of seven Revolutionary Guardsmen, including two generals.

On April 13–14, Iran retaliated against Israel with an unprecedented drone and missile attack. Later, as US media cited US officials stating Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival, Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan. Tehran played down the alleged Israeli attack.