The Iranian army announced early Monday afternoon the end of its first wave of attacks against Israel since the April ceasefire, although it threatened to resume them if Israel continued attacking Lebanon.
Iran’s military headquarters said it had given a “strong response” to Israel for its attacks on Lebanon, including Sunday’s attacks on the outskirts of Beirut. “Consequently, the cessation of the operations of the armed forces is declared; however, it is stressed that if the attacks and acts of harassment continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures will be taken than the previous ones,” it adds.
Tel Aviv has not yet reacted to this development. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched attacks against the Islamic Republic in retaliation after Tehran fired missiles on Sunday night, the first direct attacks between the two countries since the ceasefire. And if Tehran fired before, it was because Israel had previously attacked the south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, something that even the United States had asked it not to do, because it violated the ceasefire in force, renewed last week.
This morning – early in the US – US President Donald Trump had called on Iran and Israel to stop shooting “immediately”, according to his Truth Social profile. “Both Israel and Iran seek an immediate ceasefire. Final peace negotiations are underway, although ignorance or stupidity could hinder them. The blockade will remain in place until a final agreement is reached. It is important that everything moves quickly. Thank you for your attention!” the message adds.
The Reuters agency has confirmed that Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone this Monday but, for now, the conclusions of their conversation are unknown.
The wave of attacks has raised the temperature of war throughout the Middle East, and also oil prices, which have risen around 4%. Above all, he threatened to frustrate the efforts led by the White House to negotiate an agreement to end the war with Iran, negotiations in which Tel Aviv does not participate and at which it wrinkles its nose: it seems to it that its defensive objectives have not been fully met and it wants to buy time.
Israel has confirmed that this morning it attacked a petrochemical plant in southwestern Iran that it claimed was used to produce ballistic missiles. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded with an attack targeting a similar Israeli plant in the city of Haifa.
At the moment, there is no known data on personal injuries in either of the two embattled countries.
A video distributed by the Israeli Army shows an attack on an air defense system in Iran, at an unknown location. The video was published on June 8, 2026.
Shadows over the negotiations
The first direct exchange between Israel and Iran since April could interfere with Trump’s efforts to end the war he started with Israel in late February. The US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in force until a final agreement was reached, the US warns, while still trying to talk.
On Monday, an Israeli military official stated that Israel was prepared for various options for military strikes against Iran, ranging from several days to “as long as necessary.” Israel had attacked Iranian air defense systems that were being rebuilt after previous Israeli attacks, as well as the petrochemical plant.
In an equally defiant tone, an Iranian military source cited by the Tasnim news agency stated that Tehran was prepared for a prolonged conflict with Israel and for new attacks against US interests in the region.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was exchanging messages with Washington in a climate of “extreme suspicion.” He added that Israel’s actions in Lebanon, whether carried out with the knowledge and consent of the US or not, were aimed at sabotaging diplomacy. “The United States is directly responsible for any actions that the Zionist regime (Israel) takes in relation to the violation of regional peace and security against Iran,” he said.
“The US is directly responsible for any action that the Zionist regime (Israel) takes in relation to the violation of regional peace and security against Iran”
Iranian media reported the sound of explosions in Tehran today, and the semi-official Mehr news agency said air defenses had shot down a drone over the capital. No casualties or damage were immediately reported.
Additionally, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis vowed in a statement to stop Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and claimed to have fired missiles at Israel. So far, they have largely stayed out of the regional war; They control territory at the mouth of the Red Sea, an increasingly important route for millions of barrels a day of Middle Eastern oil, otherwise blocked by Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz.
An Israeli military official stated that Iran had fired “about 30 ballistic missiles” at Israel since Sunday night, and the Houthis had fired two more missiles.
Israel claimed to have struck targets at the Mahshahr petrochemical complex, used to produce and export raw materials for Iran’s missile program. A provincial official told Iranian media that part of the plant was damaged.
