Ghalibaf: US and Israeli bases are legitimate targets after the attack on the southern suburbs

SadaNews - Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf has intensified his rhetoric against the United States and Israel, considering that the Israeli airstrike targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, along with the naval blockade on Iran, make American and Israeli bases and interests in the region "legitimate targets."

Ghalibaf's statements came just hours after threats made by a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in the Iranian parliament, Ibrahim Rezaei, who stated that Tehran would deliver a "decisive and painful response" to the Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, urging to "watch the skies over the occupied territories tonight."

Ghalibaf stated that the United States and Israel "do not abide by a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue," asserting that what occurred in Lebanon confirms that they "understand only the language of power." He added that "the naval blockade imposed on the Iranian people and the green light that the United States gave today to the Zionist regime turn American and Israeli bases and interests in the region into legitimate targets," emphasizing that "the hand of the Iranian armed forces is open as it has always been."

These statements come in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, resulted in the martyrdom of two people and injuries to 11 others. Israel claimed that the attack targeted a "command center" for Hezbollah, while Israeli estimates indicated that the targeted site did not contain prominent leaders, and that the operation was not intended for an assassination.

According to Axios, Israel informed the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in advance about the strike on the suburbs, confirming to Washington that the attack was a response to rocket fire from Lebanon towards northern Israel. The site quoted informed sources stating that Israel informed the U.S. administration that it considers the continuation of Hezbollah's attacks a violation of the ceasefire agreement, which, from its perspective, justifies continued targeting of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon.

The escalation comes at a time when warnings are increasing about the repercussions of targeting the southern suburbs on ongoing communications between Tehran and Washington to end the war, especially after Iran had warned in recent days that any attack on Beirut could lead to broader regional implications and undermine the existing political understandings.