Islamic Republic will send Netanyahu ‘to hell’: Iran’s security chief

TEHRAN: Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Major General Mohsen Rezaei has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran will respond decisively to any further aggression, saying his “great mistakes” have brought the Zionist regime closer to its end.

Speaking to Lebanon’s Al-Manar television, Rezaei said Tehran was closely monitoring developments in Beirut and its southern suburbs, describing the areas as Iran’s red lines.

“We will send him to hell,” Rezaei said, adding that Netanyahu’s actions had brought the Israeli regime closer to its end.

The Iranian security chief said a growing anger was emerging across the Islamic world and warned that it could eventually translate into action.

Rezaei said Iran considers Lebanon’s security to be closely linked to the security of the wider West Asia region. He called for an end to military operations in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Lebanese territory.

He warned that Iran would prepare for a new phase if fighting resumes, saying any future conflict would be different from previous wars and that Iranian strikes would be unprecedented.

Rezaei also warned that countries allowing US aircraft to launch attacks or US missiles to be fired against Iran would be treated as enemies.

He said one of Tehran’s conditions for any understanding with Washington was an end to wars across West Asia, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as a halt to Israeli attacks on Damascus.

“West Asia is like a chain,” Rezaei said, stressing that developments in one part of the region affect the others.

The Iranian official also praised the people of Lebanon, paid tribute to Hezbollah’s martyrs and commended Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem for leading the group following the deaths of senior commanders.

Rezaei said Iran was not seeking war but remained prepared to respond to any aggression. He reiterated that Beirut and the Dahiyeh area remained Iran’s red lines and warned that any new aggression would not be met under the previous rules.

The latest escalation began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli targets in the region.

Iran and the United States later signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17 in an effort to end the conflict. Tehran has since suspended direct contact with Washington, maintaining that dialogue cannot resume while US military attacks and hostile rhetoric continue.