Israel strikes Iran despite calls for restraint from UK and US
Israel launched airstrikes against Iran early on Monday, despite earlier calls for restraint from US President Donald Trump and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Israel said Iran had launched further missiles in response to the strikes, with people urged to seek shelter as sirens sounded in central Israel.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had struck military targets “belonging to the Iranian terror regime” after Iran had earlier launched missiles against Israel for the first time since a fragile ceasefire came into effect in April.
The IDF said the attacks had targeted western and central Iran. Iranian state television said explosions had been heard in Isfahan, Tabriz and Tehran.
Iran closed the airspace surrounding Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
After the initial Iranian attack, the Foreign Secretary posted on X: “The resumption of conflict between Iran and Israel is in no one’s interest. Both sides must show restraint and de-escalate immediately.
“Negotiations must continue towards the lasting settlement that we all need, for peace and stability in the region, and for the full restoration of global trade.”
The White House has not commented on the Israeli strikes but Mr Trump earlier told Fox News Channel he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table.
He also said he was “not happy” about Israel’s strikes on Lebanon on Sunday.
A senior US official told the Associated Press that Mr Trump had spoken to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called on him not to carry out any immediate response to the Iranian attacks.
Tehran had earlier warned of retaliation to the Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel said were retaliation for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah firing at northern Israel earlier in the day.
Sirens were heard around Israel with explosions in the north of the country.
The country’s military said it intercepted the missiles with people told they could leave shelters, although they were advised to remain near them.
Israel’s ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said on X that Iran had fired 11 ballistic missiles at Israel and that the response was targeting Iranian surface-to-surface missile launch sites and infrastructure facilities.
He wrote: “If Hizballah fires at Israel, its command centers in the Dahiya will be hit hard. This has nothing to do with Iran. Everyone has had enough of this maniacal Iranian regime.”
Israel said a missile had been launched at the country from Yemen, with no reports of any impact, while sirens sounded early on Monday in the area including the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, which houses US forces.
Saudi Arabia said the missile danger in the Al Kharj region had passed.