Iran breaks ceasefire with missile salvo after Israeli strike on Beirut; Trump halts Netanyahu retaliation
Iran launched multiple salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday night, its first direct bombardment since the April ceasefire, in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs that killed at least two people.
The fragile truce that had held since April collapsed on Sunday as explosions lit up the skies over Israel and Damascus, and air-raid sirens wailed from Tel Aviv to Gulf states.
Israeli strike on Beirut
Earlier in the day, Israeli aircraft struck two residential buildings in the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs without prior warning. Lebanon’s health ministry reported the attack killed two people and wounded twenty. The Israeli government described the target as a "militant command centre" used by Hezbollah. The strike was the first on the area since the United States announced a Lebanon truce plan last week, and it defied Washington’s request for restraint.
I’m not happy about it.
Iran retaliates with missiles
Hours later, Tehran launched at least twenty ballistic missiles toward Israel. Sirens sounded in several parts of the country for the first time since the ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces said their air-defence systems intercepted all incoming missiles, though some debris fell over uninhabited areas and there were no immediate reports of casualties. Yemen’s Houthis also fired missiles at Israel, according to the Israeli military.
These rabid dogs must be punished and put in their place. Tonight, look at the sky of the occupied territories.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that if full-scale conflict resumed, “responses will be broader and will include all American-Zionist targets in the region.”
- Hezbollah fires mortars from Lebanon into northern Israel.
- Israel retaliates with airstrikes on two buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh, killing 2 and wounding 20.
- Iran launches at least 20 ballistic missiles at Israel; sirens sound across the country.
- Trump phones Netanyahu to demand no Israeli retaliation; Netanyahu ‘pseudo agrees’.
- Iran closes western airspace; Syria and Iraq follow with temporary closures.
Trump leans on Netanyahu
President Donald Trump, briefed on the escalation from his golf club in Bedminster, called the Israeli prime minister to demand he hold back. According to a senior U.S. official cited by Axios, Netanyahu “pseudo agreed” to stand down after a calmer conversation than a tense exchange the previous week. Trump told the Financial Times that Netanyahu “won’t have any choice” but to accept any deal Washington secures with Iran, adding bluntly:
I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.
The official said the president “bought a little bit of time” and was adamant that a deal with Tehran was within reach. Trump told Fox News he expected Iran to “get back to the table and make a deal,” adding that the missile launches would “certainly not help negotiations.”
Diplomatic efforts strained
Iran immediately closed its western airspace, and Syria and Iraq followed suit temporarily. In Tehran, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Bakaei said diplomatic consultations mediated by Pakistan would continue regardless, though he acknowledged the renewed violence would have an impact. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s chief peace negotiator, declared U.S. bases and Israeli assets legitimate targets, citing the “marine siege against the Iranian nation” and Washington’s alleged green light for the Israeli strike.
The exchange leaves the indirect talks brokered by Pakistan at risk. While Israel’s military said it was prepared for multi-day hostilities, the Trump administration signalled it wanted to avoid a wider war that could imperil a deal it says is “very close.”
