Above photo: Reuters.
Will ‘Take Initiative’ To Defend Axis Of Resistance.
Tehran says it is drawing new red lines in the conflict after retaliating directly to Israel’s bombing of Beirut on Sunday.
The ceasefire announced on 8 June by US President Donald Trump following an exchange of fire between Iran and Israel is conditional on a cessation of hostilities not only in Beirut but also in southern Lebanon, Tasnim reported, as Tehran moves to implement a new regional defense doctrine.
“Iran agreed to the ceasefire request based on a new and conditional equation, stating that if Israeli attacks or Israeli and American crimes continue in Lebanon and its south, not just in Beirut, the confrontation will resume and Tehran will respond more violently and significantly than before,” the semi-official Iranian news agency stated.
The Israeli army bombed Beirut’s southern suburb on Sunday, targeting two apartments in the Mreijeh area.
In response, Iranian forces fired over a dozen missiles at Israeli bases. Tel Aviv initially claimed its air defenses repelled the attack, but several direct impacts were confirmed.
“Israel and the United States did not expect Iran to carry out this threat with such high firepower and speed, as Iranian missiles were launched in several waves towards the occupied territories just a few hours after the Israeli crimes in the southern suburbs of Beirut,” Tasnim reported.
Israel retaliated by launching heavy attacks on Iran on Monday morning, bombing a petrochemical station in Bandar-e-Mashahr, Khuzestan Province, as well as areas in Tehran and Tabriz.
Iran responded again with more missile attacks targeting Israeli military sites.
Iran’s latest attacks on Israel are part of a new strategic defense doctrine announced by Iranian officials on Monday.
Expediency Discernment Council chairman Sadeq Larijani said Tehran’s intervention in support of Lebanon constitutes a formal declaration of a new strategic doctrine, under which attacks on any component of the Axis of Resistance will trigger a response that extends beyond geographical boundaries and reshapes regional equations.
Larijani added that Iran will no longer wait for threats to emerge before acting. Instead, it will take the initiative to defend its interests and the interests of its regional allies. He also warned that Iran would meet any expansion of the conflict or attacks on its critical infrastructure with a comprehensive and deterrent response.
Tasnim noted that the US, not Iran, requested a ceasefire on Monday, something that US President Donald Trump explicitly announced, saying that Israel and Iran “must immediately stop shooting.”
