Israel launched airstrikes on central and western Iran early in the early hours of Monday, defying an order by US president Donald Trump not to respond to an Iranian missile attacks.
Explosions were reported in several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and Karaj, as Iran temporarily closed the airspace around Tehran’s main international airport.
This comes despite a report in Axios that Trump had urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch retaliatory strikes.
“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” the US president said.
Earlier, Israel’s IDF said in a post on social media they had identified missiles “launched from Iran toward Israel”, while “defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat”.
The strikes mark the first attacks on Israel from Iran since the April ceasefire took effect.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards demanded the Israeli army stop its attacks on Lebanon and refrain from retaliating or else face “more crushing and regretful blows”.
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