Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force within the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has issued a statement that appears to seek to pressure the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire deal.

The deal was agreed upon in Washington overnight. Now Iran and the Quds Force commander appear concerned. Qaani demanded that Israel withdraw from Lebanon.

He has made several threats recently to use Iranian influence, apparently via the Houthis, to target shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

“Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of all of us, and removing Israel from the region is an attainable goal for Muslims,” Qaani said.

The post was circulated on a social media platform in Iran and has not been fully verified. Nevertheless, it was also reported in regional media, such as Arab News in Saudi Arabia.

Qaani apparently added that “the minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the usurping regime [Israel] to the position it held before the start of the 40-day war.”

The 40-day war apparently refers to the recent conflict that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran. Israel has carved out a security zone in southern Lebanon since Hezbollah attacked it on March 2.

Iran is in talks with the US over a deal on the Strait of Hormuz and also seeks concessions in Lebanon.

The Islamic Republic has been trying to preserve Hezbollah. It doesn’t want the group removed. Hezbollah is a historic Iranian proxy and is a key piece of real estate in the region for Iran.

The terror group has been increasing in power since the 1980s, when it first began fighting Israel. It subsequently clashed with Israel in the 1990s and again in 2006, and has been engaged in renewed hostilities since 8 October 2023.