Netanyahu seeks urgent Trump meeting amid Iran, Lebanon tensions - CNN

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, calling it a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and a breach of the April ceasefire understanding between Iran and the United States.

"Iran, while recalling the direct responsibility of the US government for the crimes committed by the Zionist regime and its repeated violations of the ceasefire against Lebanon or Iran, emphasizes its determination to take all necessary measures to exercise its inherent right of legitimate defense," the ministry said in a statement.

"It is clear that responsibility for the dangerous consequences of the Zionist regime’s warmongering for regional peace and security will rest with the United States and the Zionist regime," the statement added.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran’s diplomacy and the efforts of “Lebanese fighters,” referring to Hezbollah, would protect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and counter Israeli “warmongering.”

“They can never isolate any part of the pillars of the resistance,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

“The efforts of Lebanon’s brave fighters and the powerful diplomacy of Iran will guarantee the sovereignty and territorial integrity of beloved Lebanon and will upend the Israeli regime’s madness and warmongering,” he added.

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Tehran would teach the attackers a “regrettable lesson” in defense of Lebanon after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday.

“Neither the American diplomatic smile is trustworthy, nor is Israel’s savagery tolerable!" Mohammad Mokhber said on X.

"We will teach the aggressors a lesson they will regret,” he added.

US Senator Lindsey Graham said he hoped a diplomatic solution to end the Iran conflict may be near, but warned that any deal must account for Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and its ties to Tehran.

“While I hope and pray that a diplomatic solution to end the Iranian conflict and deny Iran the ability to produce a nuclear weapon and stop their reign of terror on the region may be at hand, we still must understand who we are dealing with,” Graham wrote on X.

He said Hezbollah had been “unrelenting” in attacks against Israel since the latest ceasefire and accused the group of forcing evacuations in northern Israel.

"Hezbollah is financed and controlled by Iran, with a lot of American blood on its hands. It is clear to me that no matter what deal we sign with Iran, Hezbollah’s stated ambitions of destroying Israel and making Lebanon a caliphate have not fundamentally changed," he added.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israel's strikes on Beirut, saying they took place despite a ceasefire and as the US and Iran were expected to reach an agreement that could pave the way for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

"I strongly condemn today's Israeli strikes on Beirut," Guterres said in a post on X.

"This conflict is having a devastating impact on the world's economy," he added.

Guterres urged all parties to "show maximum restraint at this crucial moment" and said he strongly hoped for "a successful outcome of the ongoing efforts by the US & Iran."