Airstrikes hit several Iranian cities hours after Trump reportedly urged Netanyahu not to retaliate following Tehran’s missile attack on Israel

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

Israel launched airstrikes on central and western Iran on Monday, escalating tensions in the Middle East despite reported efforts by US President Donald Trump to prevent an immediate retaliation.

The strikes came after Iran fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward northern Israel in response to an earlier Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs. According to Israeli authorities, the missiles were either intercepted or landed in open areas.

Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, and Tabriz following the Israeli attack, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles. Authorities also closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport after the strikes.

The latest exchange marks the first direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran since a ceasefire halted the US-Israel conflict with Iran in April.

Reports said Trump had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before the strikes, urging him not to respond immediately to Iran’s missile attack. A US official claimed Trump believed he had persuaded Netanyahu to delay any retaliation.

However, Israel proceeded with the operation hours later. The White House did not immediately comment on whether the strikes were coordinated with Washington.

The crisis has also increased tensions across the region. Saudi Arabia reportedly activated missile warning sirens near an area hosting US forces, while Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. Yemen’s Houthi movement has previously carried out attacks in support of Iran.

In Lebanon, two people were killed and 20 others injured after an Israeli strike targeted what Israel described as a militant command centre in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district. The attack followed missile and drone launches by Hezbollah against Israeli military positions.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of giving Israel a “green light” for the Beirut attack and warned that American and Israeli assets could become targets.

The renewed conflict also rattled global markets, with oil prices rising sharply amid fears of a wider regional war.

Source: The Guardian