Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, marking a rare direct Iranian attack since the ceasefire and raising fears that the fragile truce is unravelling.
The Israeli military said it detected missile launches from Iran and later reported more launches and intercepted several missiles. Air defence systems had been activated and sirens sounded in several areas.
US and Israeli media reported that Israel is preparing to retaliate after Iran's missile attack. Senior Israeli officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to hold a security assessment.
The Iranian attack came hours after Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs, an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Israel said the strikes were aimed at "Hezbollah terror infrastructure".
Tehran quickly linked its response to events in Lebanon. Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran had repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate breaches of the ceasefire in Lebanon. "The aggressors received their response tonight," Mr Rezaei said.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also issued a warning to Israel, demanding an immediate halt to attacks on Lebanon and threatening further action if military operations continued. It said that if Israel expanded its operations or responded to Iran's actions, it would face "more crushing and regretful blows".
In its statement, the IRGC said it had aimed at the Ramat David Airbase with ballistic missiles, describing the base as the source of the attacks on Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,500 people since the war with Hezbollah resumed on March 2.
President Donald Trump sought to calm tensions, urging Tehran to resume negotiations while simultaneously pressing Israel not to retaliate. "What I would suggest to Iran: You've shot your missiles, that's enough. Get back to the table and make a deal," Mr Trump told Fox News.
At the same time, Mr Trump indicated he was trying to prevent a wider escalation. According to Axios, he said he was in contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding: "I'm calling Netanyahu right now and telling him not to attack Iran in response."
The US President also signalled his dissatisfaction with Israel's earlier strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, telling Fox News: "I'm not happy about it."
The escalation comes 100 days after the start of the war that erupted on February 28, when US and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets spread a wider regional conflict involving Iran-backed groups across the Middle East.
The latest developments have renewed concerns that diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions are collapsing. According to Axios, US President Donald Trump was briefed on the escalation by senior officials.
The renewed hostilities overshadow negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict, although progress towards a comprehensive agreement has remained slow.
In an interview with NBC, recorded before the latest escalation, Mr Trump said Iran's leadership remained resistant to pressure despite months of military confrontation and diplomatic engagement.
"Because they're strong, they're proud," Mr Trump said when asked why a deal had yet to materialise. He said Iran's ruling establishment had decades of autonomy and had previously faced insufficient pressure from western governments.
Mr Trump also acknowledged that despite repeated claims that Iran's military capabilities had been severely degraded by US strikes, Tehran still retained significant offensive capabilities. "They have some missiles, they have some drones," he said. "It's a lot of missiles, but it's not what it was when we first attacked."
The prospect of Israeli retaliation, combined with Iran's warnings of further action, has heightened concerns of a new cycle of escalation involving Israel, Iran and Hezbollah.
