Israel’s Beirut strike activated 1st phase of broader response: Senior Iranian adviser

Israel’s strike on Beirut activated the “first phase” of a broader response by the resistance axis, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said early Monday.

In remarks carried by Iranian media, Ali Akbar Velayati said the current security stability in the Bab al-Mandab Strait should not lead Israel into a “miscalculation.”

“The resistance axis has the capability to shut both waterways. The choice is yours: stop the foolishness or enter a balanced equation involving the two straits,” he said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.

Velayati also said predictions made days earlier had materialized through a missile response of the “Zat al-Salasil type.”

“Today’s Israeli attack on Beirut and its clear violation of the ceasefire activated the first phase of our response,” he added.

Iran launched several missile barrages toward northern Israel late Sunday following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs which Tel Aviv claimed targeted a Hezbollah command and planning center.

The Israeli attack killed two people and injured 11 others in a preliminary toll.

The Iranian attack marked the first such bombardment of Israel since a fragile ceasefire in early April.

A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.