Iran threatens war if Israel attacks Lebanon

Iran warned on Saturday that “all resistance fronts,” a grouping of Iran and its regional allies, would confront Israel in the event of an attack on Lebanon.

The comment by the Iranian delegation in New York comes amid fears of a larger regional war involving Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah movement. Since the war in Gaza began, the two sides have exchanged fire almost daily.

Such wars escalated this month, accompanied by belligerent rhetoric from both sides. Israel’s military said plans for an offensive in Lebanon had been “approved and confirmed,” to which Hezbollah responded that no Israeli would be spared in a full-blown conflict.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Iranian mission said it “considers the Zionist regime’s propaganda about a planned attack on Lebanon as psychological warfare.”

But she added: “If there is a full-scale military aggression, it will be a devastating war. All options, including the full participation of all resistance fronts, are on the table.”

The war in Gaza began in October when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.

Iran, which supports Hamas, praised the attack as a success but denied any involvement.

In addition to Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have repeatedly attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea region, calling this an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Iran also supports other groups in the region.

The Islamic Republic has not recognized Israel since the 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed Shah of Iran.

Fears of a regional war also increased sharply in April after an air strike razed the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.

Iran retaliated with an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13 and 14.

Later, Iranian state media reported explosions in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, while US media quoted American government officials as saying that Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes against its arch-rival.

Tehran downplayed the reported Israeli attack.