Israel has launched fresh airstrikes against Iran, defying US President Donald Trump, who publicly urged the Jewish state not to retaliate. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed it struck truck-based surface-to-air missile launchers and missile production factories in southwestern Iran on Monday.
IDF Targets Critical Infrastructure
In a statement, the IDF said it had struck "critical components" of Iran's missile production programme. The strikes focused on the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, which the IDF claimed was used to manufacture raw materials for ballistic missiles.
"The Israeli Air Force, acting on precise IDF intelligence, struck several infrastructure sites at the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr," the statement read. "These facilities were used by the armed forces of the Iranian terror regime to produce and export raw materials for weapons production."
The IDF emphasised that the targeted infrastructure produced unique materials essential for developing ballistic missiles that threaten Israel and its civilians. The strikes were part of Operation Roaring Lion, which has previously targeted the same complex.
Trump's Plea for Restraint
The new strikes came in response to Iranian missiles fired overnight. Despite the Iranian aggression, Trump had urged Israel not to respond. In his first comments since the exchange of fire, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting.'"
He later posted again, insisting both sides were "looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE!" The president claimed negotiations were ongoing, "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way."
Trump Claims He Calls the Shots
Speaking to the Financial Times before the outbreak of fighting, Trump asserted he dictates terms to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how the war should be prosecuted. "He won't have any choice," Trump said. "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn't call the shots."
The airstrikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, with the US president publicly at odds with his ally's military actions.
