The fragile Middle East ceasefire nearly collapsed this weekend when Iran launched missiles at Israel for the first time since the truce took effect in April, and Israel hit back hard.
Iran fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles at civilian centers in northern Israel on Sunday night, shattering roughly two months of relative quiet. The strikes came hours after Israel hit Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut as retaliation for Hezbollah rocket attacks on unprovoked northern Israeli civilians.
Iran had warned throughout the day that it would respond if Israel defended itself. It followed through.
Israel wasted no time in firing back at the Iranian regime. Dozens of Israeli warplanes struck Iranian air defense installations in Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz, and also hit a major chemical facility in Mahshahr. Iranian airports shut dow, and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis joined and fired a missile toward Israel’s capital of Tel Aviv. Saudi Arabia briefly activated air warning sirens near a U.S. air base before the threat passed.
“The ceasefire was conditional on a ceasefire on all fronts. Tonight’s operation was a warning, and if aggressions are repeated, the responses will be broader,” Iran’s IRGC said in a statement:
President Donald Trump, who told Fox News Sunday that the missile attacks are “certainly not going to help negotiations,” called the Israeli prime minister and urged him to hold back from further strikes. Early Monday, Trump took to Truth Social with a rare direct order to both governments.
“Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting,'” he wrote.
Iran’s military announced it was halting further attacks, saying Israel had “learned a lesson.” An Israeli official said Israel had agreed to pause strikes on Iran, though military operations in Lebanon would continue.
Trump followed up with an optimistic post: “Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached.”
The White House confirmed Trump had been briefed on the renewed fighting but is still working on a permanent peace deal.