Iran not to send forces to Lebanon, Gaza as Israel hints at new ground op

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has reportedly implied that Israel is gearing up for a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Iran on Monday stated that it will not send forces to Lebanon or Gaza to engage with Israel, news agency AFP reported, citing confirmation from the Iranian foreign ministry, amid Israeli strikes on Tehran's regional allies and on the same day that the Israeli defence minister reportedly implied that Israel was gearing up for a ground offensive against Hezbollah.

"There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani was quoted as saying by the news agency. Kanani reportedly added that both the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian fighters "have the capability and strength to defend themselves against the (Israeli) aggression".

"We have not received any request in this regard from any side," Kanani clarified in a briefing in Tehran, adding, "On the contrary, we are informed and confident that they do not require the assistance of our forces."

In recent days, Israel has launched airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting what is referred to as the "axis of resistance", a coalition of Iran-backed militant groups spread across the region, including in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

These Israeli operations claimed perhaps their most significant target on Friday, when an Israeli airstrike in Beirut resulted in the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant organisation Hezbollah, which has been armed and supported by Iran for many years.

Despite this statement from Iran, Kanani reportedly promised that Israel will face "reprimand and punishment" for the "crimes it has committed against the Iranian people, military personnel, and resistance forces".

Also on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant strongly implied that Israel was gearing up for a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to a Times of Israel report.

"The elimination of Nasrallah is a significant step, but it is not everything," Gallant reportedly told Israeli troops in northern Israel, adding, "We will use all the capabilities we have."

Addressing the soldiers, Gallant added, "If someone on the other side does not understand what these capabilities mean, it is all capabilities, and you are part of this effort." 

"We trust you to be able to accomplish anything," said the Israeli defence minister.

On the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly visited Hezbollah's office in Tehran to "pay tribute" to Nasrallah.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who holds the ultimate authority in all state matters, has declared that Nasrallah's death "will not be in vain".

Tehran has also vowed to avenge the death of Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander of the Quds Force, the foreign operations wing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed alongside Nasrallah.