Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Iran’s military command claimed Friday that Israeli military aircraft are using the airspace of neighboring countries to approach Iranian territory, calling it a “dangerous act” and saying it has a right to respond.

What happened: In a statement carried by Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters — the operational command of Iran’s armed forces — said, “We consider the movements and presence of military aircraft of the terrorist army of the Zionist regime in the skies of certain neighboring countries toward Iran as a dangerous act and a threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

It went on, “If the United States is unable to restrain and control the Zionist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not tolerate any threats against itself and considers responding to these dangerous actions as its right.”

The statement did not name specific states or provide details about the alleged flights. There have been no recent reports confirming Israeli military aircraft operating over countries neighboring Iran.

A US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month established a framework for an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day negotiating period aimed at a broader deal. While Israel is not a party to the negotiations or the MoU, its forces have not struck Iran since June 8. 

Background: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning Friday to Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. In a post on X, Katz said Qaani had “recently been issuing numerous threats toward Israel.”

“If Iran attacks Israel, it will be its biggest mistake yet. Here, no Hormuz or firing at the population will help it. Nothing will stop us. Our forces are prepared to finish the job,” Katz wrote in a post published in Persian.

The Quds Force is the external operations arm of the IRGC, responsible for supporting its proxies and military activities outside of Iran.

Know more: His comments followed Qaani warning Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon Thursday. “You must leave all of Lebanon,” he said, according to Iranian state media. “This land is a field of steadfastness and resistance, not a playground for occupiers.”

“If you do not withdraw of your own accord today, tomorrow you will be forced to flee in humiliation and defeat,” Qaani said.

Israeli forces have remained deployed in southern Lebanon since March, when Hezbollah began attacks on Israel in support of Iran. Israel has refused to withdraw from its self-declared buffer zone until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer poses a threat to communities in northern Israel. Israeli forces have continued operations and strikes in south Lebanon, despite a June 3 ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.