Air raid sirens sounded across large parts of Israel on Sunday after Iran launched missiles toward the country for the first time since a ceasefire was announced in April.
The Israeli military said it detected missiles fired from Iran toward Israel, adding that all of them were intercepted by air defense systems.
According to the military, a total of 11 missiles were launched, triggering sirens across wide areas of northern and central Israel, including Haifa, Caesarea, and Hadera.
An Israeli military spokesperson said Iran had “once again chosen the path of terrorism,” while Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir stated that the military was prepared to respond “with force” once instructed to do so.
Iran, however, said the missile attack was carried out in response to an Israeli airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, describing the operation as a “warning message” to Israel.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any further attacks would be met with a broader and more severe response, cautioning that what it described as “American and Israeli targets” in the region could be targeted if the escalation continues.
The Iranian strike came hours after Israel carried out an air raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Lebanese sources said resulted in the deaths of two people.
Israel said the strike was launched in response to projectiles fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, while the Israeli military pledged to continue operations against Hezbollah.
On the international front, U.S. President Donald Trump called for avoiding further escalation and announced that he intended to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge restraint and discourage any retaliatory response to the Iranian attack.
Trump said both sides had already carried out their strikes and argued that “there is no need for another strike.” He also indicated that negotiations with Iran remained close to reaching an agreement.
He added that the Iranian attacks would not help the diplomatic process but expressed confidence that an agreement could still be reached within the coming days, urging Tehran to return to the negotiating table.
Amid the escalation, several countries implemented precautionary aviation measures. Iran announced the closure of parts of its western airspace and suspended flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq closed its airspace for 72 hours.
Syria also announced a partial closure of its airspace in southern areas near the Israeli border for 12 hours and suspended operations at Damascus International Airport during the closure period.
These developments come as diplomatic efforts continue to contain tensions and prevent the region from sliding into a broader confrontation, amid growing warnings about the impact of further escalation on regional stability.
