Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday in a major escalation following Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs. The attack shattered a fragile ceasefire and marked the most serious confrontation since April, after 100 days of war.
The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted all 10 missiles, which targeted northern Israel. US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate, warning it would undermine ongoing negotiations with Tehran. Trump told Fox News: 'You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal.'
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the missile launch as 'the beginning of a full week of continuous strikes,' threatening 'waves of missiles and drones' until Israel is deterred. The attack came hours after Israeli strikes on two apartment buildings in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, killing two people and wounding 11, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary foreign policy committee, had earlier promised a 'decisive and painful' response. The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, declared US bases in the region 'legitimate targets' after the Israeli strike. The Israeli prime minister’s office said the military struck 'terrorist headquarters' in response to Hezbollah rocket fire, though Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for the morning attacks.
Trump, in separate interviews, said he was 'not happy' with Israel’s strikes and that Netanyahu would have to accept any US-negotiated deal with Iran because 'I call the shots.' He added that a peace deal with Iran was 'very close' and could be signed within days, but warned the current escalation risked derailing it.
