The Israeli military announced on Monday that it had carried out airstrikes targeting military sites in western and central Iran, hours after Iran launched missiles toward Israel for the first time since the ceasefire announced in April.
In a brief statement, the Israeli military said the Air Force had struck Iranian military targets. Iranian state television reported hearing explosions in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran toward Israel and confirmed that its air defense systems intercepted all of them.
According to the military, a total of 11 missiles were fired, triggering air raid sirens across large parts of northern and central Israel, including Haifa, Caesarea, and Hadera.
Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said that Iran had “once again chosen the path of escalation,” while Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir stated that the military was prepared to respond to any threat.
For its part, Iran said the missile attack was carried out in response to the Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, on Sunday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described the operation as a “warning message” and warned that any further attacks would be met with a broader and more severe response. Iranian officials also stressed that continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon could lead to further escalation.
The latest tensions followed an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs that, according to Lebanese sources, killed two people. Israel said the strike was launched in response to projectiles fired from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.
Amid the escalation, U.S. media reports indicated that President Donald Trump sought to contain the situation. According to Axios, Trump said he would contact Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate against the Iranian attack.
Trump stated that both sides had already carried out their strikes and that he saw no need for further escalation, while emphasizing that the United States remained close to reaching an agreement with Iran.
He also stressed that military escalation would not help advance ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
As tensions mounted, several countries adopted precautionary measures. Iran announced the closure of parts of its western airspace and suspended flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Iraq also closed its airspace for 72 hours, while Syria announced a partial closure of its southern airspace near the Israeli border for 12 hours.
The developments come as diplomatic efforts continue to contain the crisis and prevent a broader regional confrontation, with attention focused on potential political and military moves in the coming hours.
Source: AFP
