Tel Aviv [Israel], June 9 (ANI): Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday warned that Israel would continue military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and would strike Beirut if the group carried out any attacks on Israeli territory, in his first official comments following the recent Iran-Israel escalation, according to the Times of Israel.
“Dahiyeh in Beirut will be treated the same as the northern communities,” Katz said, referring to the Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.
“Any attack on the northern communities will lead to an attack in Dahiyeh. The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon against the Hezbollah terror organisation,” he added.
Katz also rejected Iranian warnings issued amid the latest regional tensions.
“Israel categorically rejects Iran’s threats,” he said.
“Any Iranian attempt to link Lebanon and Iran and attack Israel will be met with great force, as happened yesterday,” Katz added, as per the Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel has halted its attacks on Iran, though he stopped short of formally acknowledging a ceasefire between the two countries following a day of direct military confrontation.
In his first public remarks since Israel and Iran exchanged strikes, Netanyahu said the fighting had paused after Tehran ceased its attacks on Israeli territory.
“At the moment, the fire has ceased, because after we struck the terror regime in Tehran, it stopped attacking us. If the terror regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
According to Tasnim News Agency, Iran’s military said its recent attacks were carried out in support of Lebanon and in response to Israeli military actions.
“The powerful Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in support of the oppressed people of Lebanon, delivered a painful response to this regime (Israel),” Iran’s military said in a statement cited by Tasnim.
However, Tehran warned that it was prepared to resume military action if Israel continued its operations, particularly in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain active against Hezbollah positions.
“Should the aggressions and hostile acts continue – including in southern Lebanon – far more severe and crushing measures than before will be forthcoming,” the statement said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday asserted that Tehran remains committed to both defending its national interests and pursuing diplomatic engagement, emphasising that the country will not back down in the face of threats while also keeping the door open to negotiations.
In a post on X, the Iranian president stressed that military preparedness and diplomacy are complementary pillars of national strength, rejecting suggestions that Tehran has chosen one path over the other. He said, “Diplomacy and defense are the two wings of national power; we have neither abandoned the field nor the negotiating table.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that both Iran and Israel are looking to implement an “immediate ceasefire” following an escalation of hostilities involving intense rounds of attacks and counterattacks between the two sides after Tel Aviv launched strikes on Tehran.
Trump added that the final negotiations on a peace deal aimed at achieving a complete solution to the West Asia conflict are currently underway. However, he cautioned that “ignorance or stupidity” could derail efforts to reach a final agreement.
“Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate ceasefire! Final negotiations on “Peace” are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
The US President also noted that Washington’s blockage of Iran will continue until a deal is reached, noting that the deal is moving “quickly.”
“The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly,” the post added. (ANI)
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