Iran warned of possible "pre-emptive action" against Israel "in the coming hours" as Israel prepares for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Iran has repeatedly threatened to get involved if Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Tehran has repeatedly warned that a ground invasion of long-blockaded Gaza would be met with a response on other fronts - raising fears of a wider conflict that could draw in other countries.
"The possibility of pre-emptive action by the axis of resistance is expected in the coming hours," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdolahian said on live state television as he reported on his meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday.
Earlier on Monday, Iran's top diplomat and President Ebrahim Raisi had said time was running out to reach a political solution and warned against expanding the Israel-Hamas war on other fronts.
Amir-Abdolahian said on Monday that "resistance leaders" would not allow Israel "to do what it wants in Gaza". "If we don't defend Gaza today, tomorrow we will have to defend these (phosphorus) bombs at our country's children's hospital," he added.
Israel declared war on the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas a day after waves of terrorists broke through Gaza's heavily militarized border with Israel on October 7 and killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Israel responded by pounding the Gaza Strip with non-stop airstrikes and artillery attacks that leveled neighborhoods and killed at least 2,750 people in Gaza, mostly civilians. Iran welcomed the Hamas offensive but insisted it was not involved.
The statements come as Israel prepares for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, where fears for Palestinians trapped in the heavily bombed enclave have grown since Israel launched its air campaign.
Since its Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran has made support for the Palestinians one of the pillars of its ideology.
Hezbollah attack with an Iranian missile?
Hezbollah struck Israel with a ballistic missile believed to be Iranian-made, according to unconfirmed reports from Russian sources. The use of a MIM-104C/E PAC-2 long-range missile from a Patriot PAC-2/GEM-T battery was recorded in the skies of Israel. This type of missile is designed to intercept targets moving at speeds of up to 2200 m/s at an altitude of 27-30 km. After firing its rocket engine, the MIM-104C/E can reach a speed of 5300 km/h and is capable of intercepting targets that are overloaded by up to 15 units.
Given the characteristics and height of the missile, it is believed that it could be used to intercept ultra-long-range missiles, such as the Fajr-5 or Buraq-100, developed by Hezbollah. A particularly important point is the apogee of the flight trajectory of these missiles, which can reach 25 km.
In the past, Hezbollah actually threatened to attack Israel with its long-range missiles, and to date this is the first attack on Israeli territory with such weapons.
At the moment, it remains unknown whether the target was destroyed by Israeli air defence systems, but Hezbollah may have up to 2,000 such missiles in its arsenal, although the number of launchers is very limited.
Meanwhile, the Ziv medical centre in Safed says it will soon receive three people wounded by the anti-tank guided missile attack launched from Lebanon on the northern city of Metula. Their condition is not known, but earlier reports said two people were slightly injured. The hospital says it is preparing for the arrival of the victims.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with artillery shelling against southern Lebanon after the anti-tank missile was fired against the northern city, footage shows.
Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen reports that the Hezbollah terrorist group is responsible for the latest attack. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for several rocket, mortar and gunfire attacks on the northern border in recent days.
