Iran Threatens Israel: "Leave Lebanon Today — or Flee Tomorrow"

Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, issued a threat toward Israel today (Thursday) and called on it to withdraw from southern Lebanon. According to him, Israel must "leave Lebanon today of your own free will," or else, he warned, "you will be forced to flee from it tomorrow in shame and humiliating defeat."

Qaani added that "Lebanon is an arena of resilience and resistance, not a playground for occupiers." He also said: "Do not forget the year 2000 and Hassan Nasrallah’s historic testament in Bint Jbeil. That promise is still alive, and there is no doubt that the same scene will repeat itself again."

The remarks come as officials in Israel and the United States are dealing with the question of continued military deployment in southern Lebanon. Earlier today, an American official was quoted by the Reuters news agency as claiming that Israel had withdrawn from some of the territory it captured in southern Lebanon as a "goodwill gesture" toward the government in Beirut. That same official added that the Lebanese army is now expected to enter the evacuated areas and establish itself there.

But the report quickly triggered a series of denials. A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that he was not aware of any Israeli withdrawal, and the IDF clarified that "nothing has changed in recent days and no directive on the matter has been received from the political echelon."

Security sources in Lebanon also rejected the claims. A Lebanese military source told the "Al-Araby" channel that "the Israeli army has not withdrawn from any point in the areas it captured in southern Lebanon," adding that although a withdrawal from the areas of al-Wazzani and Ain Arab had been planned, it did not happen. Another Lebanese security official said in an interview with "Al Jazeera" that "the Israeli forces remained in all the areas they recently captured."

Alongside the denials, sources familiar with the contacts estimate that the American message may have been intended to prepare the ground for a future move במסגרת the talks taking place between the sides. Over the past two days, intensive discussions have been held between the political leadership and the IDF regarding the positioning of forces in southern Lebanon, and the defense establishment is examining various options for continuing the deployment in the area.

The IDF is expected to present the political leadership with an updated plan regarding the continued presence of forces on the ground. The recommendations focus on the points that should continue to be held and the areas where forces can regroup, with the goal of preserving the security of northern residents and the operational freedom of the forces.

In the defense establishment, officials believe there is no necessity to hold every point where the forces are currently positioned, and that in some cases tactical withdrawals could actually improve the ability to control the area through surveillance and firepower. At the same time, the IDF emphasizes that at this stage no decision or political directive has been made to change the deployment of forces in southern Lebanon.