TEHRAN – In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry firmly condemned the Israeli regime’s large-scale attacks on various parts of Lebanon, calling them “blatant violations of the sovereignty of an independent country” and “crimes against international peace and security.”
“Tel Aviv’s continued warmongering and expansionist policies pose a serious threat to peace and stability in the region, and if left unchecked, these actions will have dangerous consequences,” the statement added.
In a statement, Iran called on the international community, the United Nations and regional countries to respond seriously to these acts and hold the Israeli regime accountable.
Israeli officials have confirmed that the recent attack on Lebanon was carried out in coordination with the United States, despite a Washington-brokered ceasefire last year.
Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) quoted Israeli officials as saying the airstrikes in Lebanon were carried out “in coordination with the Americans” who have been stationed in Israel’s so-called Northern Army bases since a ceasefire was established last November.
Officials claimed that the airstrikes were due to the Lebanese army “not acting uniformly across the country in disarmament of the Hezbollah movement” and that “the pace of operations is estimated to be slower than expected.”
“The United States also recognizes that it must disarm Hezbollah in accordance with the Lebanese government’s decision,” the officials said.
In August, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam ordered the country’s military to develop a plan to limit the entry of weapons into the country by the end of the year. The decision is aimed at disarming the Hezbollah resistance movement, which for decades has defended Lebanon from outside aggression, especially enemy Israel.
Hezbollah condemned the government’s decision to disarm as a “grave sin” and warned that such a step would weaken the country against Israeli aggression. Popular resistance groups declared that they would completely ignore the decision and treat it “as if it didn’t exist.”
Violations of the ceasefire agreement escalated further, with Israeli warplanes carrying out heavy airstrikes on several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday condemned the Israeli airstrikes as a “full-scale crime”.
“What Israel committed today in southern Lebanon amounts to a full-scale crime under international humanitarian law, which criminalizes the targeting, terrorism and forced displacement of civilians,” Aoun said.
He also described Israel’s escalation as a “heinous political crime” and stressed that “every time Lebanon expresses its openness to peaceful negotiations to resolve outstanding issues with Israel, Israel continues to intensify its attacks on Lebanon’s sovereignty, flaunt its disregard for UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and violate its obligations.”
The Lebanese army also condemned the Israeli attack as “a continuation of the enemy’s destructive approach aimed at prolonging the war in order to destabilize Lebanon, spread devastation in the south, and maintain the threat against the Lebanese people.”
Israel launched its invasion of Lebanon in October 2023 in response to Hezbollah’s pro-Palestinian airstrikes against the occupied territory. However, the regime agreed to a ceasefire after failing to halt the resistance movement and destroy Hezbollah as it had sought.
Since the ceasefire began on November 27, 2024, Israel has broken the ceasefire hundreds of times and carried out deadly attacks against Lebanon on an almost daily basis.