Trump halts Israel's second strike on Iran as jets sat on runway; both sides warn of further retaliation

The runway stand-down

A major Israeli retaliatory strike against Iran was called off at the last moment on Monday after direct intervention by US President Donald Trump. Israeli fighter jets were reportedly on the runway, prepared to launch a second barrage, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered them to stand down following a phone call with Trump. The American president had demanded an immediate halt to hostilities, warning Netanyahu that if he continued the attacks, Israel would soon find itself alone in the war.

I told him: 'Bibi, you better watch out, because very soon you'll be alone.'

Israeli officials described the conversation as one of mutual understanding, but other sources characterized it as a clear directive from Trump. The stand-down came after a rapid 24-hour escalation that saw direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran for the first time since a ceasefire was declared two months earlier.

The 24-hour escalation

Hostilities erupted on Sunday when Israel bombed the Dahiya district in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, testing the limits of the April 8 ceasefire. The strike killed two people and wounded twenty. In response, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israeli territory on Sunday night. The initial salvo involved 11 missiles, according to one report, which caused no casualties. Iran warned that if Israel continued hostilities, all American and Zionist bases in the region would be bombed.

Defying Trump's initial appeal not to respond, Netanyahu authorized a first wave of Israeli strikes early Monday morning. Around 4:30 a.m., Israeli jets hit targets on the outskirts of Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz, as well as a large petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran. Fifteen Iranians were wounded in the bombings. A second Iranian wave followed, with 30 missiles striking the Nevatim and Tel Nof airbases in Israel and a petrochemical complex in Haifa.

Trump's two versions

Trump offered conflicting accounts of his role in halting the violence. In one version, he claimed he stopped Netanyahu from launching further attacks. In a later interview with the BBC's Sarah Smith, he insisted that the first Israeli strikes were already underway and could not be recalled. "No, no. They had already left. They were already on their way," Trump said when asked if Netanyahu had defied him. He added of the Israeli prime minister: "If I tell him to do something, he does it."

All I did was say: 'We have to use logic.' We are very close to signing a very strong, very good deal. No nuclear weapons, nothing. You know, it takes a lot of common sense.

The US president also predicted a swift resolution to the broader conflict, promising "complete victory" over Iran within two weeks and forecasting a collapse in oil prices.

Netanyahu's domestic pressure

Netanyahu's decision to halt strikes drew sharp criticism from his far-right coalition partners. During a cabinet meeting, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued that Israel must resist US pressure, saying the country should "stand tall against Trump" and "fight tooth and nail" to make its red lines clear. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated continuing strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, arguing this would weaken the group and strengthen Israel's refusal to accept Iranian demands to include Lebanon in any ceasefire.

We are on the same page as Trump. He is not releasing Iran's frozen funds, he is determined to seize the nuclear material, and he maintains the pressure. Why would we break with him?

Netanyahu defended his coordination with Washington, suggesting Ben Gvir's hardline stance was related to an upcoming election campaign.

A fragile pause

By Monday evening, both sides had announced a suspension of hostilities. Iran's armed forces declared the end of their operation, which they called a "painful response," but warned of "much harsher and more overwhelming measures" if Israeli attacks resumed, including in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu confirmed the pause in a televised address, stating that Israel was observing a ceasefire "for now" but would respond with force if attacked again.

If this terrorist regime makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with violence. Today, Iran and Hezbollah are weaker than ever, and we are stronger than ever. But our fight against them is not over yet.

In southern Lebanon, at least 14 people were killed and more than 20 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Monday, according to authorities in Beirut and the Red Cross. Tehran's main international airport announced a return to normal operations early Tuesday after reopening airspace that had been closed during the exchanges.