Donald Trump called on Israel and Iran for an immediate ceasefire. It is responding to a wave of mutual attacks and escalating tensions in the Middle East.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump called on Israel and Iran to cease fire on his Truth Social network. He was reacting to the first wave of mutual attacks between two hostile countries since the conclusion of the truce on April 8, reports TASR.
“Israel and Iran must stop ‘shooting’ immediately,” Trump wrote.
Both sides are escalating the conflict
Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday morning in response to rocket fire from Tehran. Iranian authorities said they were responding to attacks in Beirut, Lebanon, which Israel said were aimed at the Hezbollah militant group, an ally of Iran, by firing missiles at Israel.
According to the Israeli army, Tehran has fired 30 rockets since Sunday evening. Israel attacked nine Iranian air defense systems in western and central Iran, as well as three factories in a petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran.
Accusation of the US by Iran
Despite the fact that the United States did not join the Israeli attacks and the head of the White House is demanding a ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bakayi accused the United States of escalating the conflict. “No one believes that the Israeli regime would take these actions without coordination with the US,” he said.
The Israeli army emphasized that Washington does not participate in combat operations, but, according to its own words, coordinates its actions with the US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM). The armed forces expect the fighting to continue for several days and have declared that they are prepared for a protracted conflict.
Air traffic limited
The renewal of attacks also brings with it a renewed restriction of air traffic in the Middle East. Iraq has already closed its airspace for 72 hours as a precaution. Hungarian low-cost airline WizzAir has canceled all flights to Tel Aviv scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
