Iran and Israel have exchanged airstrikes for the first time since a ceasefire was signed in April. On Sunday night, Iran fired missiles at northern Israel, then at other parts of the country. Israel then responded to the attack, and Iran continued its attacks this morning.
Missiles have also been fired at Israel from Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthi militia operates. The Houthis confirmed they had attacked Israel and said they would block all Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and target any movement. Throughout the conflict, the militant group has repeatedly attacked Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea.
The Israeli army said it had struck a petrochemical plant in southeastern Iran, a claim later confirmed by Iranian state media. According to them, explosions were reported in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have attacked two Israeli air bases.
Why have the attacks resumed?
Iran, which began the attacks yesterday, said they were due to Israel's ongoing military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel carried out airstrikes in southern Beirut, killing at least two people. The terrorist group Hezbollah, which the Islamic Republic backs, continues to defy attempts by Israeli and Lebanese leaders to broker a ceasefire.
Iran says the ceasefire in its war with the US and Israel extends to the conflict in Lebanon, and has previously threatened to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut's southern suburbs. Israel rejects the claim that Lebanon is part of the ceasefire, saying its war against Hezbollah continues. The group is increasingly isolated in the country but has rejected calls for disarmament – something that the Lebanese government says can only be achieved through diplomacy, not war.
What's happening with the talks to finally end the war?
Israel carried out the attack on southern Beirut, where Hezbollah's headquarters are located, even though US President Donald Trump tried to dissuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from such a step. The US expects Israel to end its war in Lebanon so that a deal can be made with Iran. In addition to warnings not to attack Beirut, Donald Trump also asked Netanyahu not to respond to last night's attacks from Iran. The Israeli prime minister apparently did not listen to his ally.
Donald Trump's concerns are related to the potential failure of peace talks with Iran - the war that the US is currently waging in the Middle East is unpopular among Americans and Trump has been insisting for several weeks that it will end very soon. Diplomatic efforts have been on and off since the ceasefire was announced in April, but Trump has now told Netanyahu that they are "very close to a good deal", reports the American news platform Axios.
Relations between Trump and Netanyahu have been strained in recent days after American media reported that Trump shouted at Netanyahu on the phone and even used obscene language. Trump later confirmed that he was angry with his Israeli counterpart over Israel's ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. Trump previously told the "Financial Times" that Netanyahu would have to agree to whatever deal was reached because "he would have no choice".