Israel and Iran exchange attacks as ceasefire falters

Israel has traded attacks with Iran and Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile at Israel, threatening a faltering ceasefire and raising fears of a return to full-blown war in the region.

Iranian state media reported that the sound of explosions were heard reverberating through the capital Tehran on Monday, though it was not clear if it was an interception or a direct impact.

The Israeli army said its air force completed “an extensive strike against strategic defence systems” in Iran, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched attacks on Israel’s Nevatim and Tel Nof airbases in response to Israeli air attacks overnight.

Earlier, the Israeli military said its forces struck sites at the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran, after hitting military targets elsewhere in the country following an Iranian barrage against northern Israel, which caused no injuries. The IRGC said it targeted a chemical plant in Israel’s Haifa. Other explosions were heard in Tabriz and Isfahan in Iran.

In Yemen, the Iran-aligned Houthis said they had fired a missile against Israel and announced they would ban Israeli maritime navigation in the Red ⁠Sea.

The conflict escalated on Sunday as Iranian forces launched a wave of missiles at northern Israel, the first such attack since a truce with the United States and Israel was agreed in April, in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel said it was targeting positions of the Iran-aligned group Hezbollah. The attacks were the first on the Lebanese capital since Washington announced a ceasefire extension in the Israel-Lebanon war last week.

Iran’s Central Command spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, accused the US of giving Israel permission to attack Beirut.

Tehran has long insisted that a truce with Washington includes a halt to hostilities in Lebanon. Since the start of the truce between Iran and the US, Israel has continued attacking Lebanon and has, in recent weeks, expanded the area it occupies in the country’s south, saying it is acting in pursuit of Hezbollah fighters who continue to fire rockets and drones at northern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet commented publicly on the attacks, but multiple Israeli media reports said he will convene a security cabinet meeting at 11am local time (08:00 GMT).

The exchange of fire comes as Washington and Tehran are discussing an extension of the ceasefire agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing energy prices, which have surged since Iran blocked the waterway following joint US-Israel attacks on its territory on February 28. After the two sides exchanged fire on Monday, Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped above $97 a barrel.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, US President Donald Trump said “Israel and Iran must stop ‘shooting’.”

US media reported that he spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday night and urged him to avoid further military action.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said the latest flare-up would not affect negotiations with Iran. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu. In a separate interview with Fox News, he said he had told Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran.

In a post on X, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote: “Tehran must burn.”

Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said the Israeli government was unlikely to listen to calls for de-escalation.

“Once they started seeing rockets from Iran, they were not going to listen to Trump’s calls for de-escalation – not just because Israel wanted war, but also because Netanyahu’s image had taken a hit, as he was increasingly seen as someone who follows Trump’s orders,” she said.

US media reports about a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu last week, where the US president reportedly ordered the Israeli leader to back down from striking Beirut, caused tensions within Israel.

“Netanyahu has built a reputation and a career around portraying himself not only as a strongman, but also as someone willing to defy even the US in pursuit of Israel’s strategic assets and goals – so when he was seen as someone being pushed towards a ceasefire with Iran and forced to halt certain activities, it did not play well for him politically,” Ibrahim said.