Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters on Monday announced the halt of military operations against Israel.
“Iran’s powerful armed forces delivered a response to the atrocities and mischief of the savage Zionist regime in southern Lebanon and the Dahiyeh district, which were carried out with the support of criminal America,” the statement of the unified Iranian military Khatam al-Anbiya said while claiming it had delivered a “painful and decisive response” to Israeli aggression in Lebanon and against Iranian territory.
According to the statement, the military issued a warning that any further attacks by Israel, particularly in Lebanon or on Iranian soil, would trigger a far more severe retaliation with “much more intense and crushing measures.”
“The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic have delivered a painful response in support of the oppressed people of Lebanon,” the statement said, adding that operations had now been halted.
The declaration follows as Israel and Iran exchanged strikes last night and into today after Iran announced military operations in response to Israel’s air strikes on Beirut in Lebanon on Sunday.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted Israel’s Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel and alleged that the facility had played a role in operations against Lebanon.
A day later, Iran struck the strategic Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases following Israeli attacks on several Iranian cities.
Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and a senior IRGC commander, said Israeli forces had suffered “heavy, targeted, intelligent and costly blows” against what he described as sensitive military targets.
“We acted exactly as promised,” Iranian state media quoted Zolfaghari as saying. “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic have demonstrated the highest level of defensive and offensive readiness and have proven that their actions match their words.”
He further warned both Israel and the United States that Iran and allied resistance groups across the region would continue to confront any perceived threats.
“Criminal America and the Zionist regime must understand that a strong and proud Iran, together with the resistance forces of the region, will never surrender to pressure or military intimidation,” he said. “If aggression and mischief continue, the response will be far more severe.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s foremost priority remained the security and well-being of its citizens, while emphasizing that Tehran would continue to defend its national interests. He stressed that the country has “neither abandoned the field nor the negotiating table”.
“We will defend the rights of the nation with authority and will not retreat in the face of any threat,” Pezeshkian wrote on X. He added that Iran remained committed both to diplomacy and national defence, describing them as “the two wings of national power.”
“Diplomacy and defence go hand in hand,” the president said. “We have neither abandoned the battlefield nor the negotiating table.”
The developments underscore the fragile state of regional security, with tensions between Iran and Israel once again threatening to spill over into a broader confrontation involving Lebanon and other actors across the Middle East.
