Ebrahim Rezaei, an Iranian lawmaker and the military secretary to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, took to the social media platform X to condemn the move. In a post that has since garnered significant attention, Rezaei stated that Tehran would deliver a "painful" response to Israel's actions. He specifically warned the Israeli public, urging them to "Look at the sky over the occupied lands tonight," signaling a potential retaliatory strike or escalation from Iran or its proxies.
The airstrike occurred on Sunday afternoon, just days after US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on June 1. According to reports, the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the operation after Hezbollah allegedly ignored the ceasefire terms by continuing to fire rockets into Israeli territory. An Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post that the strikes were a direct consequence of these violations, citing the understanding that any Hezbollah firing into Israel would result in attacks on its command headquarters in Dahiyeh.
The timing of the operation highlights a deepening rift between Washington and Jerusalem. Earlier in the day, Netanyahu had ordered an escalation, but President Trump reportedly blocked the attack, allegedly calling the Prime Minister "f***ing crazy" for his willingness to launch wars. Despite this friction, the IDF proceeded with the strikes, reportedly informing Washington in advance, according to the Saudi outlet al-Hadath.
This development follows weeks of heightened conflict. On May 31, the IDF announced the capture of the Beaufort Ridge outpost and Wadi al-Saluki areas beyond the Litani River. Despite these advances, Hezbollah has continued to launch drones and rockets, with reports indicating over 50 rockets were fired on a single day in late May. The IDF has since pushed operations as far as Nabatieh, approximately 20 kilometers from the border, well beyond the 10-kilometer limit established in the April 17 ceasefire.