Associated Press
Israel and Iran fired at each other on Monday while Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile at Israel and threatened to disrupt Red Sea shipping. It’s the most serious escalation since a ceasefire began two months ago and threatens to plunge the Middle East back into war.
Israeli authorities said three waves of Iranian missiles targeted the country. Explosions could be heard in central Israel as Israeli air defenses sought to intercept the incoming Iranian fire.
The Iranian attack came after Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday in response to missile fire from Tehran, in the most serious crossfire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached in the Iran war.
Tehran warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down.
The Israeli strikes came in apparent defiance of President Donald Trump, who told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he doesn’t think Israel needs to respond further.
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Frustrated Israelis return to war routines
Israelis returned on Monday to war routines, established during the last round of fighting with Iran, with a sense of resigned apathy.
Schools were closed across the country, but many businesses remained open. In Tel Aviv, streets were more subdued than on a regular weekday, but many were still shopping for groceries and running errands after a morning that sent people to shelters multiple times for the first time since April.
Many blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the renewal of missiles from Iran.
“The behavior of the government and the prime minister and the way he’s brought us into unending wars and his constant lies to his infantile base don’t help me sleep well at night,” said 63-year-old retired economist Moshe Regev.
Israel says it targeted Iranian petrochemical facilities
The Israeli military said it targeted petrochemical facilities in Mahshahr to hit sites used to produce “unique materials that serve as critical components for the development of ballistic missiles.”
Trump says Israel and Iran must stop shooting
In his first comments since Iran and Israel traded fire, Trump wrote online: “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’”
Iraq closes airspace for 72 hours
Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority on Monday said the closure was a “precautionary measure” to preserve the safety and security of civil aviation.
It added that the decision will be subject to continuous review and reassessment and airlines and relevant sides will be notified of any new developments.
29 Lebanese army members have been killed in Israeli strikes since March
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos released the toll Monday, two days after an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three members of the Lebanese army, including a brigadier general and a captain.
Morcos said that since the Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, three police, one member of the General Security Directorate and 13 state security members have been killed in Israeli attacks. Also killed was a member of the parliament’s security.
A total of 3,613 people have been killed, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli military has said it operates against Hezbollah and not against the Lebanese army.
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Syria temporary closes Damascus airport as Iran and Israel trade fire
Damascus International Airport will remain closed until 11 p.m. (2200 GMT) Monday.
Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation closed the country’s southern airspace, which includes Damascus. The measure is related to the latest exchange of fire between Iran and Israel, it said.
Air defenses in Tehran and other cities open fire
Just before noon, air defense systems around Tehran and multiple Iranian cities opened fire, with some claims of attacks ongoing.
Oil prices rise sharply
Oil prices surged as Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire.
Brent crude, the international standard, jumped $4.40 to $97.49 a barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude surged $3.95 to $94.49 a barrel.
The latest spate of attacks was straining efforts to end the conflict as a tentative deal reached last week to extend a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has not yet been finalized.
Israel says it targeted Iranian missile launchers
Israel’s military said it targeted truck-based surface-to-air missile launchers in its strikes Monday on Iran.
It said Iran had deployed the systems across the country in a bid to restore its capabilities that were degraded earlier in the war.
Iran says US responsible for any escalation caused by Israel
An Iranian official warned Monday that the United States is “responsible for the consequences of any escalation” in the Middle East caused by Israel.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei made the comment in a briefing with journalists on Monday in Tehran.
“No one believes that the Israeli regime would take any action without coordination with the United States,” Baghaei said. “The United States bears responsibility for the Israeli regime’s aggression, and it will also be responsible for the consequences of any escalation in tensions.”
Israeli rescue services say no injures so far from Iranian missile attack
Israel’s rescue services said there were not any known injuries from the latest round of missiles from Iran.
Rescue services are searching a number of sites for possible fragments from interceptions.
Iran launches third wave of missiles at Israel
The Israeli military urged people to take shelter. Similar alerts sounded in neighboring Jordan.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile attack on Israel
The Iran-backed rebels also said that Israel-affiliated vessels would again be a target in the Red Sea.
The statement from Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree was broadcast on the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel.
It’s another new escalation as the nominal ceasefire in the Iran war is being challenged by crossfire between Israel and Iran.
Iran claims attacks, says it targeted military bases
Iran claimed the attacks on Israel, saying their fire targeted two military bases in Israel.
The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard described the attack as being part of Operation Nasr, or “Victory.” The Guard said it launched the missile fire after Israel targeted radar sites in three areas of Iran, without elaborating.
The Israeli military says it hit petrochemical complex in Iran
Israel’s military says it him a petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran. It did not provide details.
The semiofficial Fars and Mehr news agencies said Israeli strikes hit a petrochemical factory in city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan province. It did not elaborate on the damage done.
Israel issues all clear after a second wave of Iranian missiles
Israel issued an all-clear after warning of a second wave of inbound missiles from Iran.
It was the second alert without any interceptions being heard in the country.
The Iranian fire comes after Israel launched strikes on Iran early Monday in the most-serious crossfire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached in the Iran war.
Sirens sound near Israel’s main nuclear research site
Israel said it detected a barrage of missiles from Iran toward central and southern Israel on Monday morning. Loud explosions were heard over central Israel, and missiles also targeted southern Israel, near the city of Dimona and Arad.
The remote desert city of Dimona houses Israel’s main nuclear research center, which opened in 1958. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though its leaders neither confirm nor deny this.
Iran targeted Dimona and Arad during the last round of conflict, injuring more than two dozen people.
No impact or casualties in Israel from Yemen missile launch
Israel’s rescue services said there were no reports of casualties or impacts from the launch from Yemen.
Israel cancels school nationwide as conflict escalates
Israel’s military updated its guidelines for civilians on Sunday evening, limiting large gatherings and canceling school across the country.
It is the first time school has been canceled across Israel since the earlier round of fighting with Iran in April, though schools in Israel’s northern border had been closed for much longer due to the threat of Hezbollah fire.
Israel says missile launched from Yemen
Israel said Monday that it detected a missile launched from Yemen targeting the country. Sirens sounded across Israel after the Yemen missile fire warning.
Yemen is home to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis have fired missiles at Israel during the Israel-Hamas war and later, but haven’t been fully involved in the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia sounds missile alerts
Saudi Arabia sounded missile alert sirens Monday morning in an area home to an air base that hosts U.S. forces. Saudi state media reported the alert around its Al Kharj governorate, home to Prince Sultan Air Base.
It did not elaborate. The alert came after Israel launched strikes targeting Iran.
Trump had urged Israel not to respond
Speaking to The Financial Times, Trump before the Israeli strike on Iran insisted he dictated terms to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how the war should be prosecuted.
“He won’t have any choice,” Trump told the newspaper in a telephone interview. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”
White House has no immediate comment
The White House did not respond to messages Sunday about the strikes and whether they were done in coordination with the U.S.
Iran closes airspace around its main airport following Israeli strikes
Iran closes airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, country’s main airfield, after Israeli attack.
Israel says it strikes central and Western Iran after missile fire; Tehran says explosions heard in several cities.
