Iran and Israel call halt to military operations
Iran and Israel have halted their military operations against one another, in an apparent end to the cycle of retaliatory attacks that had threatened to jeopardise peace efforts in the Middle East.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that it was stopping its attacks but warned that any further strikes by Israel or hostile actions against Lebanon would trigger “a far stronger and more forceful response”.
A person briefed on the matter said that Israel had also decided to halt its attacks on Iran. They did not comment on whether this was the result of a request from US President Donald Trump.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said it would continue its attacks on the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, a Hizbollah stronghold, in retaliation for any attacks on the northern Israeli cities that have faced the brunt of the Lebanese militia’s rockets.
Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting’.”
He added: “Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”
Explosions were heard in central Tehran on Monday morning, hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at northern Israel in retaliation for an earlier Israeli strike on southern Beirut targeting the Iran-allied Hizbollah militant group.
The Iranian barrage, which did not cause any injuries, was the first that Tehran had launched at Israel since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April.
Iran has insisted that the Israeli-Hizbollah conflict should be part of the broader truce, and had warned that it would retaliate if Israel struck Beirut.
Trump has been trying to strike a deal with Iran to extend the truce and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for energy supplies, which has been closed since the US and Israel first attacked Iran in February.
Oil prices dropped after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ announcement. The international oil benchmark Brent crude, which was trading above $98 a barrel earlier on Monday, fell to trade around $94.70.
Israel continues to conduct air strikes on southern Lebanon
Israel continued to conduct heavy air strikes on southern Lebanon as well as issue evacuation orders on Monday for areas near the southern city of Tyre, which has come under repeated bombardment the past two weeks.
One of the strikes on Tyre injured four paramedics with Lebanon’s Red Cross in the latest attack on healthcare and emergency workers in Lebanon. At least 131 healthcare workers have been killed and 386 injured in the latest hostilities.
Lebanon’s health ministry on Monday said 3,637 people have been killed since the eruption of hostilities in March this year, including hundreds of women, children and healthcare workers.
Israel vows to continue Beirut attacks if northern cities are targeted
Israel will continue attacking Dahiyeh, a Beirut suburb and Hizbollah stronghold, in retaliation for any attacks on the northern Israeli cities that have faced the brunt of the Lebanese militia’s rockets.
“Any attack on the northern settlements will lead to an attack on Dahiyeh,” Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, said in a statement on Monday. “Any Iranian attempt to link Lebanon and Iran and attack Israel will be met with great force.”
Iran fired missiles at Israel overnight in retaliation for an air strike that the Israeli military carried out in Dahiyeh. Israel retaliated with air strikes in Tehran by early Monday morning.