Iran's top security body warns response 'imminent' after 'Israel's' Beirut strike

Iranian officials issued stark warnings on Sunday following an 'Israeli' strike in Beirut, saying Lebanon remains central to Tehran’s regional security posture and that any violation of Iran’s “red lines” would not be tolerated.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a post on X that regional coordination had created what he described as a unified security framework.

“The unity of the fronts has created a security chain in defense of the region,” Zolghadr wrote. “Lebanon is our lifeblood, and any violation of the Islamic Republic’s red lines will not be tolerated.”

Separately, Iranian military officials escalated their rhetoric following the strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which targeted a Hezbollah stronghold in the Dahieh district.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that Iranian forces were on high alert and prepared to respond.

“Our fingers are on the trigger ready to shoot the enemy's heart,” Abdollahi said in remarks carried by state media. “The children of the nation in the armed forces are ready to shoot the enemy in the heart.”

He added that Iran was waiting for “the slightest slip by the aggressor enemy” to deliver what he described as an “unforgettable and final lesson.”

Earlier statements from Iranian military officials indicated that the strike on Beirut would not go “unanswered,” signaling a continued escalation in rhetoric between Tehran and Israel.

In response to rising tensions, the Israeli military said it was “preparing for potential fire,” without directly naming Iran.