IRGC General: Gaza war has spread to Lebanon and might expand; Iran is ‘prepared’

Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas playing out in the Gaza Strip has spilled over into neighboring Lebanon and could likely expand in scope to the wider Middle East, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force said on Monday.

“Today, we can see that the war has expanded, with Lebanon being embroiled in it,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Amir Ali Hajizadeh as saying.

Tensions continue to grow north of the Israeli border, with attacks by Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah launching regular attacks targeting Israeli sites and the Israeli military returning fire.

Hajizadeh added: “It is probable that the extent of clashes will grow even bigger. The future is unclear, though Iran is prepared for all conditions.”

Asked about the US threat to Iran, Hajizadeh said: “The US is not threatening Iran… Iran is not in a position where anybody would seek to threaten it, as we are currently at the peak of our military strength.”

The US conducted on Sunday military strikes targeting IRGC and Iran-affiliated facilities in Syria which were the latest response to a series of attacks against US forces in Syria and Iraq amid an escalation of tensions in the region owing to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

US Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin said on Sunday: “US military forces conducted precision strikes… on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria. The strikes were conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively.”