The Israeli military has launched airstrikes on Iran after the Iranians fired missiles at northern Israel in the first exchange of fire between the two countries since a ceasefire was reached on 8 April, raising fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels also fired at Israel and warned they would target Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, further escalating tension. The Israeli strikes came in apparent defiance of Donald Trump, who told Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that he did not think Israel needed to respond further. He added that Netanyahu did not “call the shots”.
Iranian officials said they did not believe Israel launched its attacks on Iran without the approval of the US, rejecting any suggestion that Netanyahu had defied an instruction from Trump. “No one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Israel’s attacks included a strike on an Iranian petrochemical complex. The Israeli military said it had also struck and dismantled Iran’s defence systems deployed across several areas in the country. Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran. The IRGC said it had targeted two military bases in Israel, describing the attacks as being part of Operation Nasr. The Israeli army said it had worked to intercept a fresh wave of Iranian missiles.
A senior US official told Associated Press that Trump had called Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately after the Iranian missile attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump believed he had convinced Netanyahu to wait. The US president “got Bibi to hold off for the time being”, the official said.
Houthi rebels announced a missile attack on Israel on Monday, the first since early April, and declared a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, raising the spectre of a return to significant disruption on the main trade route. Trust between Iran and the US has been at a minimum for a long time, but if Tehran feels there is evidence the White House covertly endorsed the Israeli attack there is likely to be consequences for the stalled peace talks.
