Iran Warns Israel Against Waging War on Lebanon
Iran's mission to the UN in New York warned Israel on Friday about the consequences of waging a full-blown war on Tehran-backed Hezbollah of Lebanon.
Iran's mission to the UN in New York warned Israel on Friday about the consequences of waging a full-blown war on Tehran-backed Hezbollah of Lebanon.
A statement posted on the Iranian mission's X account said Hezbollah "has the capability to defend itself and Lebanon."
"Perhaps the time for the self-annihilation of this illegitimate regime has come," it said.
"Any imprudent decision by the occupying Israeli regime to save itself could plunge the region into a new war, the consequence of which would be the destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure as well as that of the 1948 occupied territories," the Iranian mission warned.
It also called Israel the "ultimate loser" of the possible war.
The statement came after Israeli officials told the US they are planning to shift resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel in preparation for a possible offensive against Hezbollah.
However, US officials are worried that Hezbollah may overwhelm Israel’s air defense including the Iron Dome.
Tel Aviv has communicated to the US concerns of the vulnerability of Israeli air defense against precision-guided munitions and missiles from Iran-backed Hezbollah, three US officials have told CNN.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday that his forces, armed and trained by Iran, can target anywhere in Israel, in the event of a full-blown war.
In his televised speech Wednesday, Nasrallah said “there will be no place safe from our missiles and our drones” in Israel.
One day earlier, the Hezbollah-affiliated outlets had published footage that they claimed were shot by a drone flying over residential and military sites deep in Israeli territory.
The Lebanese group is widely believed to have amassed more than 100,000 missiles, and its leader has repeatedly boasted about weapons that he claims have not been used so far in its eight months of low-key but constant fighting with Israel.
Hezbollah has been firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with fellow Iran-backed militant group Hamas since the Gaza war erupted in October, forcing tens of thousands to flee homes in Israel.
Dubbed "layette-gate" in 2022, Ghalibaf was embroiled in controversy when his wife, daughter, and son-in-law returned from a trip to Turkey with substantial excess luggage, reportedly including items such as a baby bed and stroller readily available in Tehran.
Critics levied accusations of hypocrisy against Ghalibaf, pointing out discrepancies between his public rhetoric advocating support for domestic products and patience during the country's worst economic crisis while simultaneously allowing his family to travel abroad to purchase luxury goods.
As her father now vies for the presidency in the upcoming June 28 elections, on Tuesday, his daughter Maryam made a televised attempt to clear her family's name, but instead, the public's outrage against Ghalibaf only intensified.
She admitted to her trip to Turkey but vehemently denied the purpose, stating, "I did travel to Turkey, but not to buy layette." In a bid to clear her father's name, she said, "They were unable to criticize him directly, so they fabricated falsehoods about his family."
The saga in 2022 was worsened after the revelation of a video from the 2017 presidential debates showing Ghalibaf admonishing a former minister for traveling to Italy to purchase baby clothes, asserting bleakly, "You think our economy will improve, but it never will!"
Civil activist Vahid Ashtari, who initially disclosed details of the trip, responded to Ghalibaf's daughter's appeal on Wednesday by sharing airport documents purportedly indicating they were carrying 294 kilograms of luggage.
“Mr. Ghalibaf's daughter said on TV that she went to Turkey, but not for shopping. Here is the image from the Meraj Airlines system that I am sharing for the first time. They should clarify what these 294 kilograms of baggage registered under her husband’s name contained - 20 packages and luggage!” Ashtari wrote on X.
In the interview, Ghalibaf’s daughter also stated that those who fabricated lies about her had been punished. However, Ashtari shared a document purportedly indicating his acquittal in the "layette-gate" case.
Meanwhile, the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency attempted to vindicate Ghalibaf in response to Ashtari's tweet by posting an image, purportedly released by Meraj Airlines, "refuting false rumors about the weight of Ghalibaf's family luggage" and indicating potential "judicial action against these allegations."
The combined weight of the luggage depicted in Tasnim's image for the family amounts to approximately 130 kilograms, a detail that prompted some users to argue that it is still a substantial amount.
It is not the first time Ghalibaf's daughter has been at the center of scandal. In 2016, the Memari News website, owned by prominent whistleblower Yashar Soltani, reported that Lavizan Park in Tehran had been closed for several days for her wedding celebration while her father was mayor of Tehran.
Memari News detailed how the municipal forces of Tehran's fourth district were on alert for the wedding, utilizing municipal resources to illuminate Lavizan Forest Park at the cost of local authorities.
In Tuesday's television interview, Ghalibaf's daughter also denied the allegations as false, stating, "These lies ruined our wedding celebration."
In 2019, Soltani was imprisoned for exposing financial corruption within the Tehran Municipality during Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's tenure and for revealing details about the wedding. Earlier this month, Soltani was rearrested for his reporting on corruption.
Back in 2022, a leaked audio file of IRGC commanders discussing extensive financial corruption involving Ghalibaf during his tenure as Tehran mayor also caused an uproar in Iran, reflecting the deep connections between the IRGC and the country's political echelons.
