Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei vows 'tooth-breaking' retaliation against Israel, US as conflict intensifies in Lebanon

Just days before the U.S. presidential election, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserted that Iran would counter both attacks on itself and on its allies.

“The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response,” Khamenei said, referencing groups aligned with Iran in Yemen and Syria.

On October 26, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, killing four soldiers, in response to a reported retaliatory attack on October 1 involving around 200 missiles. Israel has since cautioned Iran against retaliating for the October 26 strikes.

Adding to the rising tensions, Kamal Kharrazi, a senior advisor to Khamenei, hinted that Iran might revise its nuclear policy in response to an existential threat.

"If an existential threat arises, Iran will modify its nuclear doctrine; we have the capability to build weapons and have no issue in this regard," Kharrazi stated in an interview with Lebanese media.

Analysts believe Israel’s recent actions have significantly impaired Iran’s air defenses and missile systems, and they note that Israel may escalate its campaign against Iranian assets, AFP reported.

Since late September, Israel has been engaged in a full-scale conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, alongside ongoing hostilities with Hamas, which initiated the Gaza conflict with its attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

Ahead of Wednesday’s U.S. election, American officials have intensified efforts for a resolution to the conflict in Lebanon.

In the latest escalation, Israeli naval commandos captured a Hezbollah operative, described by an Israeli military official as a “senior operative,” during a raid in Lebanon, transporting him to Israel for interrogation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati directed the Foreign Ministry to file a complaint with the UN Security Council regarding the raid in the coastal town of Batroun.

According to Mikati’s office, the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) are investigating the incident, with Mikati requesting “expedited” findings.

The capture, initially reported by Lebanese media and later confirmed by the Israeli military, marks the first known operation of its kind since the outbreak of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in September.

“A senior operative of Hezbollah, who serves as an expert in his field, was apprehended,” said an Israeli military official. “The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an “unidentified military force” conducted a “sea landing” at Batroun’s coast, south of Tripoli, early in the morning.

The detainee was identified by an acquaintance as a student at Batroun’s Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute, Lebanon’s leading maritime training college.

Since October 6, Israel has intensified air and ground attacks in northern Gaza, specifically targeting the Jabalia region to hinder Hamas’ regrouping efforts. In a rare incident, two rockets were launched from the area into Israel, the first attack of its kind in weeks.

Following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities, Israel intensified its strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon beginning on September 23, later deploying ground troops. Hezbollah has since expanded its rocket attacks into Israel.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have escalated, resulting in nearly 2,000 deaths and displacing thousands, while Hezbollah has launched rockets into Israel, targeting military sites near Haifa and Tel Aviv.

Amid the escalating tensions, the U.S. has sent B-52 bombers to the region to deter any further action from Iran.

A U.S. official cautioned Tehran that Washington might be unable to restrain Israel in the event of another attack from Iran, reportedly saying, "We told the Iranians: We won't be able to hold Israel back."