TEL AVIV: Iran and Israel have announced a halt to military operations against each other following their first direct exchange of attacks since a ceasefire was reached in April. However, both sides warned that any further violation of the truce could trigger a renewed escalation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel was refraining from further strikes for the time being. At the same time, he emphasized that Israel’s confrontation with Iran and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement was far from over.
His remarks came after Iran’s armed forces declared that they had ended their military operations after delivering what they described as a strong retaliatory response to Israel. Tehran also warned that any future Israeli attacks, including those targeting Lebanon, would be met with a harsher response.
The latest tensions erupted after Iran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut. Israel responded early Monday by carrying out attacks on what it said were military targets inside Iran.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Israel had not ignored his requests regarding the conflict. Speaking to the BBC, Trump said Israeli strikes were already underway when he intervened diplomatically.
The White House confirmed that Trump had spoken with Netanyahu during the crisis. An Israeli official later said the decision to halt further strikes was made following the US president’s request.
Trump said he urged restraint, citing efforts to secure a broader agreement aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also indicated that he had warned Netanyahu about the risks of further escalation, suggesting Israel could find itself increasingly isolated if hostilities resumed.
In a televised address, Netanyahu maintained that Israel would continue to exercise what he called its right to self-defence whenever necessary.
(Inputs from BBC)
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