Israel struck military targets in western and central Iran on Monday, defying a direct appeal from US President Donald Trump to hold off on further attacks as Washington pursues a peace deal with Tehran.
Trump had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone for less than half an hour on Sunday from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, urging him to refrain from strikes because “we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal,” according to a US official cited by Axios. Hours later, Israel’s defence forces announced they had struck Iranian military targets. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles and that they had retaliated by targeting Ramat David air base near Nazareth. The Israeli military said it had identified and intercepted the incoming missiles.
Trump was unequivocal about where authority rested. “It’s not going to have any impact on the deal,” he told the Financial Times. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, defended the strikes on X, saying Iran had fired 11 ballistic missiles at Israel. “Everyone has had enough of this maniacal Iranian regime. No self-respecting country in the world would tolerate such an attack, and neither will Israel,” he said, adding that Israel was targeting Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launch sites and non-energy infrastructure.
Oil prices rose more than 3% in early Monday trading, with benchmark Brent futures climbing back above $96 a barrel.
BEIRUT STRIKES PRECEDED IRAN ATTACK
The escalation began on Sunday when Israel launched strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs — the Dahiyeh district, a longstanding Hezbollah stronghold — for the first time since Washington announced a truce plan for Lebanon the previous week. Netanyahu said the strikes were ordered in response to Hezbollah firing toward Israel.
Iran responded with a missile salvo at Israeli targets, its first attack on Israel since the wider war’s ceasefire began in April.
Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, a Reuters witness reported. The Israeli military also said it had identified a missile launched from Yemen toward its territory — the first such attack from Yemen since the 8 April truce.
Iran’s chief peace negotiator, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said US bases and Israeli assets were legitimate targets due to hostile acts, including what he called the “violation of agreements over Lebanon.”
Trump insisted the exchanges would not derail negotiations. “We’re very close to a deal, or I’m going to blow the hell out of them,” he told NBC News’ Meet the Press in a recorded interview marking 100 days of the conflict.
LEBANON THE STICKING POINT
Israel has never halted its Lebanon campaign, which has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands. Hezbollah, which was excluded from truce talks, has continued its own attacks and says it will not disarm unless Israel halts operations and withdraws from Lebanese territory.
Tehran has consistently said any peace deal with Washington must include a ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel maintains the two conflicts should be treated separately.
The wider war has been deadlocked since the US and Israel paused strikes on Iran in early April. Iran has kept most shipping blocked through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas supply once flowed, while Washington has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. Though both sides have said a preliminary deal to reopen the strait is close, exchanges of fire have continued, including recent attacks on Arab states hosting US bases.
Trump has said any agreement must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and faces pressure to secure terms tougher than the 2015 deal he later abandoned. Iran’s demands include sanctions relief, recognition of its authority over the strait and the release of frozen assets. A source familiar with US plans told Reuters on Saturday that Washington was considering making Iranian assets available to Gulf neighbours to compensate for damage caused by Iranian strikes. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said any such diversion would be illegal and Tehran would respond accordingly.
(Reuters)