ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior Iranian parliament official on Sunday threatened retaliatory action following Israeli airstrikes on alleged Hezbollah hideouts in Beirut's southern suburbs.
"This rabid dog must be disciplined and put back in its place. Look at the skies of the occupied territories tonight,” Ebrahim Rezae, spokesperson of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, said on his account on X.
The statement came as Tehran has repeatedly maintained that Lebanon is included in its fragile ceasefire with the United States - a claim rejected by Israel.
"We will deliver a painful response to the Zionist regime's attack on Dahieh,” Rezae threatened, referring to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday that Israeli forces had "struck terrorist headquarters in Dahieh [Beirut's southern suburbs]" in response to Hezbollah attacks on Israel.
The strikes reportedly hit two buildings. While authorities did not immediately provide casualty figures from Sunday's attacks, the Lebanese health ministry said at least 3,613 people have been killed and 11,072 others injured in Israeli strikes since March 2, when Hezbollah sided with Iran following the outbreak of its war with the US and Israel in late February.
Lebanon as an contentious issue
Lebanon has emerged as a major point of contention between Washington and Tehran since the announcement of their Pakistani-brokered ceasefire on April 8.
Israel launched massive airstrikes on Lebanon a day after the truce, killing more than 200 people.
Israel has also continued its ground offensive in southern Lebanon, raising its flag last week over the medieval Beaufort Castle, which served as an Israeli base during its two-decade occupation of Lebanese territory in the 1980s and 1990s.
Israel views Hezbollah - an Iran-backed group that has been fighting Israel since the mid-1980s - as an existential threat to its security, justifying its continued attacks on Lebanon and the presence of its troops in the country as preemptive measures.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials expressed anger following anticipated Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs last week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that, "The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon," adding that "its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts."
He further warned that Israel and the US would bear responsibility for "consequences" if the ceasefire were breached.
Following the Iranian threats, US President Donald Trump said he had phoned Netanyahu and prevented a "major raid" on the Lebanese capital, stating that Israeli troops on their way had been recalled and turned around.
Updated at 7:20 pm
