The Israeli military said on Sunday it was preparing for a possible retaliatory attack in the coming hours after carrying out a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier in the day.

"Following the [Israeli military's] strike in Beirut ... the [Israeli military] is preparing for potential fire toward the territory of the State of Israel in the coming hours," the military said in a statement, without specifying where it believed the attack could originate.

Senior Iranian Official Vows Response

The warning came after a senior Iranian military official said Israel's strike would not go unanswered.

"Without a doubt, these crimes will not go unanswered," Brigadier General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran's highest military command, told the state-affiliated Defa Press news agency following the attack.

Fears of Wider Regional Escalation

The exchange of threats has heightened concerns of a broader regional escalation, as tensions continue to mount following the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs and amid fears that the conflict could draw in additional regional actors.