Iran and Israel have halted attacks on each other after a renewed exchange of fire threatened to unravel a fragile regional ceasefire and complicate U.S.-led efforts to secure a broader agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his country was holding fire “at the moment,” although he warned that Israel’s conflict with Iran and Hezbollah was “not finished.”
Iran’s armed forces also said it had ended its latest military operations after delivering what it called a “painful response.” Tehran warned that any further Israeli attacks, including strikes in Lebanon, could bring “more severe and crushing measures.”
The escalation began on Sunday when Iran launched missiles towards Israel following an Israeli strike on Beirut. Israel responded early on Monday with air strikes on sites inside Iran that it said were linked to military operations.
The Israel Defence Forces said one wave of attacks hit a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, in south-western Iran. An Israeli official said the site was connected to materials used in ballistic missiles. Iranian emergency services said 14 people were injured in Mahshahr and another person was wounded in Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged both sides to stop firing as Washington continued negotiations with Tehran over a possible deal to end the wider regional conflict.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The White House confirmed that Trump spoke with Netanyahu during the crisis. Asked whether the Israeli leader had ignored his request for restraint, Trump told the BBC that Israeli aircraft were already in the air.
“No, no. They had already gone. They had already gone. They were already on their way,” he said.
Fighting also continued in Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain engaged with Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry said five people were killed and eight others injured in an Israeli strike on Tyre on Monday. Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in southern Lebanon.
Although the latest pause has reduced the immediate risk of escalation, both governments have made clear that the ceasefire remains vulnerable.