Israel launches retaliatory strikes on Iran in defiance of Donald Trump as ceasefire teeters on brink of collapse

Israel has launched a wave of retaliatory strikes against Iran despite Donald Trump's demand that Benjamin Netanyahu refrain from attacking the Islamic Republic.

Iran fired missiles at Israel on Sunday evening for the first time in months, leaving Tehran's fragile ceasefire with the US hanging by a thread.

No injuries were reported in Israel after the country was targeted by a barrage of missiles.

The attack came after Israel struck southern Beirut in the first assault on the Lebanese capital since a US-brokered ceasefire was agreed last week.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Tel Aviv vowed to respond, but Mr Trump called the Israeli Prime Minister and "told him not to retaliate", a US official told CNN.

The Israeli military has now confirmed it carried out strikes on military targets in western and central Iran.

Iranian state television reported explosions in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan following the strikes.

There were also reports that the central city of Karaj had come under attack during the Israeli operation.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the Israeli military used "air-launched ballistic missiles" during the retaliatory strikes.

On Sunday, Mr Trump insisted that any fresh strikes between Iran and Israel would not derail his administration's efforts to secure a peace deal with Tehran.

The US President also said Mr Netanyahu would have "no choice" but to accept any agreement reached to bring the conflict to an end.

He told the Financial Times: "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn't call the shots."

IRAN - READ THE LATEST:

• Keir Starmer refuses to exchange 'UK's worst stalker' for British couple jailed in Iran
• Iran's World Cup squad granted visas into USA amid ongoing conflict in Middle East
• Kuwait airport ablaze after Iranian drone strike in major ceasefire violation

Speaking after the Iranian strikes, Mr Trump told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that he did not want to see "an additional attack tonight", according to the Times of Israel.

The US President said: "The Iranian strikes didn’t hurt anybody. Each of them had their fun.

"Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one."

Just after midnight, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the Israeli military had not yet been ordered to retaliate, but would act "with determination" if instructed to do so.

Less than two hours later, Israel launched its latest wave of strikes against Iran.

The escalation has fuelled fears that Tehran could target another critical maritime chokepoint in the Middle East.

On Sunday, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader warned that the regime could block the Bab al-Mandab Strait if Israel intensified its military campaign.

The Bab al-Mandab sits at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and serves as a vital gateway to the Suez Canal, linking Europe and Asia via one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter