A senior official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Tehran received a warning from the United States directed at Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Washington stated that if Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, announces a full-scale war on Israel or any escalatory hostile actions towards Tel Aviv or Washington in his speech scheduled for tomorrow, the Biden administration will consider it "a declaration of war from Tehran," implying that a direct response to Iran itself could not be ruled out.
The Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Jarida" reported that the Iranian Supreme National Security Council adopted a proposal from Commander of the Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, to escalate fronts against Americans in the region to pressure Washington into reaching a ceasefire in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which has been experiencing brutal Israeli aggression for 27 days. The source indicated that Iran and Hezbollah have informed Washington that if no type of ceasefire is reached before Friday, the Hezbollah leader will declare general mobilization in his speech, and operations against Israel will commence from various directions.
In Beirut, diplomatic sources confirmed that Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, set Friday as a deadline to reach a ceasefire or any type of truce. However, according to these sources, this deadline, which has become known in international circles, ends with the conclusion of Nasrallah's speech, not before it. Therefore, if efforts to reach a ceasefire fail by the end of Friday, there will be substantial intervention from the party.
On the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's return to the region, President Biden explicitly called for a humanitarian ceasefire after Washington thwarted international attempts to impose a ceasefire. In response, the American newspaper "Politico" reported that Israeli sources indicated Tel Aviv might agree to a humanitarian ceasefire limited to a few hours, as the evacuation of foreigners from Gaza to Egypt continues, following the opening of the Rafah crossing for the second consecutive day.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry source, the American warning emphasized that Washington does not want to ignite the war with Iran and has sought — and continues to seek — to avoid a devastating regional war. However, Tehran and its allies should not test American patience, and ongoing targeting of American forces and interests in the region will lead the United States to respond not only to the sources of ongoing attacks in Syria and Iraq but also to the entity giving the orders, namely Tehran.
The source stated that the American warning was accompanied by satellite and intelligence images of Iranian missile, drone, and weapons storage and sites in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, implicitly indicating they could be potential targets. It also included images of Quds Force Commander Ismail Qaani and some Revolutionary Guard leaders operating in Syria and Lebanon, indirectly threatening the fate of General Qassem Soleimani.
The warning also included a threat to the Houthis, emphasizing the necessity to ensure the security of shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait and to halt firing missiles and drones towards Israel. Amid ongoing military confrontations in southern Lebanon, there are warnings that Hezbollah may move against Americans this time in a step unseen in many years, especially given the view that Washington has militarily mobilized with an offensive rather than a deterrent or defensive structure.
According to "Al-Jarida" information, Qaani believes that the drones striking Hezbollah at the border with Israel, which have significantly contributed to the party's high casualty rates, are being operated or directed from American ships stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. These informed circles assert that Nasrallah will speak as a leader of the "Resistance Axis," not just Hezbollah, and his speech will be exceptional, with a very high ceiling, meant to draw red lines for the upcoming stage and establish new equations to prevent Americans and Israelis from executing their plans in Gaza.
