Former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki urged the regime to designate Gulf countries as hostile states and threaten invasion of any nation hosting U.S. bases.

Former Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottaki: Iran Should Occupy U.S. Bases and Take 200 American Hostages; We Should Strike Ukraine's Military Arsenal and Zelensky's Residence If It Continues to Supply UAVs to the Region; Jordan and Six Gulf Countries Should Be Declared Hostile States… pic.twitter.com/XqhPH7h5by

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 20, 2026

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According to various reports, Iranian remarks were specifically conditioned on the United States seizing Iranian territory, such as Kharg Island.

By Gila Isaacson, JFeed

Iran is seriously weighing a ground incursion into Kuwait aimed at seizing US military bases in the country, including Camp Buehring and either Camp Arifjan or Ali Al Salem Air Base, if the United States continues its military campaign against Tehran, according to comments from a prominent Iranian analyst and a former Iranian foreign minister.

Mahdi Khanalizadeh, an Iranian international relations analyst who has previously argued on Iranian television that American bases across the region are legitimate targets, said that Kuwait is considered one of Iran’s principal options for a potential ground incursion aimed at seizing the two US military bases located in the country.

His comments echo remarks made separately by Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s foreign minister from 2005 to 2010 and a current member of parliament, who said in an interview broadcast on Iranian state media that Iran should launch a ground war, infiltrate and seize a US military base in the Middle East, and take thousands of American military personnel hostage.

According to reporting from the Jerusalem Post and TASS, Mottaki’s remarks were specifically conditioned on the United States seizing Iranian territory, such as Kharg Island, saying that if Washington does so, Iran would have the right to invade what he called “US territory represented by American bases in the region” through what he described as a combined helicopter-borne and ground assault.

The comments come as Iranian officials have escalated their rhetoric in recent days, with some warning that no political border would remain safe and that Tehran could shift to a full-scale offensive if US strikes continue.

Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with Iranian state television that Tehran would move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations if the US continues its strikes for several more days and warned that if the US attempts to seize any locations, Iran may pursue an offensive war rather than a defensive one.

Kuwait already hosts a significant American military footprint, including Camp Buehring, Camp Arifjan, and Ali Al Salem Air Base, all of which have come under direct Iranian missile and drone attack multiple times since the war began, according to Kuwaiti and Iranian state media reporting.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed responsibility for a series of strikes on these facilities in recent days, including attacks it says destroyed fuel tanks, Patriot air defense batteries and radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

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“We are at war with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. “We are not easing off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed to press harder.”

By World Israel News Staff

Tensions along Israel’s northern border are escalating sharply Tuesday as the IDF expands its campaign against Hezbollah and begins ground operations inside southern Lebanon.

Israeli media is reporting that IDF forces are operating on the ground beyond the “Yellow Line” into Lebanese territory, marking a significant intensification of the conflict.

Earlier reports from Lebanon indicated IDF troops advancing north of the Litani River in the Beaufort Ridge area, with activity concentrated near the village of Zoutar al-Sharqiya. Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al-Manar reported ground movement in the same region, though the extent of the operation remains unclear.

The ground push comes alongside a wave of intensified airstrikes. Overnight, the Israeli military struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, including weapons depots, command centers, and other infrastructure used to plan attacks against Israeli forces and civilians.

Earlier Tuesday, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to residents in parts of southern Lebanon, including the city of Nabatieh, urging civilians to leave areas near Hezbollah positions ahead of intensified strikes.

Israeli leaders are also preparing for a broader escalation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation Tuesday in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to assess the situation and discuss the next phase of operations.

The developments follow Netanyahu’s remarks Monday signaling a more aggressive approach.

“We are at war with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. “We are not easing off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed to press harder.”

He added that Israel is prepared to increase both the scale and intensity of its strikes.

“We will hit them hard,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Home Front Command has tightened civilian restrictions in several northern areas, reducing permitted gathering sizes and maintaining partial activity levels in frontline communities.

Hezbollah has continued to launch attack drones toward northern Israel, maintaining constant pressure on frontline communities as Israeli forces intensify their operations.

The combination of ground operations, expanded airstrikes, earlier evacuation warnings inside Lebanon, and ongoing Hezbollah attacks signals a rapidly evolving situation, raising the likelihood that fighting in the north is entering a broader and more sustained phase.

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