The US president, Donald Trump, told Iran and Israel to stop “shooting” after the two sides attacked each other’s territory for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting’,” and added that the two countries “are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE”. Peace negotiations were proceeding, he said, “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way”.
But Israel ignored Trump’s call for restraint. The Israel Defense Forces said they struck facilities in Iran used to store missiles and manufacture missile components. Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj and Tabriz, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. After sunrise, the Israeli military reported a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched a missile attack on a petrochemical plant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa in retaliation for Israeli strikes on the Karun petrochemical plant in Mahshahr, a city in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province.
“Iran and Israel exchange airstrikes for first time since April ceasefire, Trump calls for immediate halt.”
The escalation began after Israel attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, which Tehran viewed as a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire. Israel claimed it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure after the Iranian-backed group fired rockets at northern Israel. Lebanon’s state news agency reported that the Israeli attack hit two apartments in two separate buildings, killing two people according to a preliminary casualty count.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, the Iranian military’s joint command said it was halting its offensive operations against Israel, but warned that if attacks continue, “including in southern Lebanon,” Iran will respond in “much more severe and crushing” ways. A spokesperson for Iranian forces in Tehran threatened to respond “even more forcefully” if further aggression takes place. The Israeli army said before the Iranian announcement that it was preparing for at least several days of conflict with Iran and was operating in coordination with the US.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels also fired at Israel and warned they would target Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea. Amid the escalating violence, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there needed to be a “diplomatic solution”. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of defence ministers in Cyprus, she said: “We can help after the ceasefire, also with escorting ships, and we will discuss this today.”