Iran Vows Retaliation Over Israeli Airstrikes on Lebanon, Says It Will Exercise Its Right to Self-Defense

[Financial News] After Israel carried out another airstrike on Beirut, Lebanon, on the 14th local time amid ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran, Iran threatened retaliation. Tehran said the attack violated the April ceasefire agreement.
According to Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based pan-Arab broadcaster, Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the military aggression committed by the Zionist regime against residential areas in Beirut's Dahieh district." It added that the attack had caused many Lebanese civilians to be "martyred" or injured.
The ministry stressed that the attack was "not only a blatant violation of Lebanon's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also a serious breach of the ceasefire agreement signed between Iran and the United States on April 8."
It also said, "We remind the U.S. government that it bears direct responsibility for the crimes committed by the Israeli regime and for its repeated ceasefire violations against Lebanon and Iran." The ministry warned, "Iran will take all necessary measures to exercise its legitimate right to self-defense." It added, "All responsibility for the dangerous consequences of the Israeli regime's reckless provocations on peace and security in the region will rest entirely with the United States and the Israeli regime."
On the 14th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck the Dahieh district on the southern outskirts of Beirut, hitting a residential building. The IDF said it targeted a Hezbollah command center in response to three Hezbollah drones that had entered Israeli airspace. Israel also carried out an airstrike on the same area on the 7th, saying Hezbollah's headquarters was located there.
Iran, which had made a halt to fighting in Lebanon a condition of the April ceasefire, reacted strongly to Israel's repeated strikes on Beirut. Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Khatam ol-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned, "We will not stand by and watch Israel's criminal acts. We will surely exact punishment."
On the 14th, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported on X that Iran's retaliation was not far off. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran (SNSC), told IRIB that "Lebanon is our lifeline" and that "we will not tolerate any action that crosses Iran's red line." He also stressed that retaliation for the Beirut airstrike was imminent.
Still, Iran appears likely to keep negotiations with the United States going.
At a meeting with media executives on the 14th, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, "The SNSC has concluded that we must continue on the path of dialogue." U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on the 14th, "We are very close to an agreement that will bring peace to the region," and added, "No one should spoil it." He also said, "All parties must stop further attacks."


pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter