Israel says Iran launched missiles in first bombardment since cease-fire – National
Iran launched missiles at Israel in the first such flare-up since it took effect in early April, raising the prospect of a return to heavy fighting and difficult mediation efforts to end the war.
Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed the launch, and Iran shut down its western port to deal with a possible response. Tehran warned of retaliation after Israel launched an airstrike on areas south of Beirut without warning early Sunday in defiance of Washington’s call for it to withdraw. Israel said Iran-backed Hezbollah had fired into northern Israel earlier in the day.
“In the event that these violent acts are repeated, the responses will be broad and will include all American and Zionist targets throughout the region,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement referring to the attack on Lebanon and Iran’s coast and ships around the Strait of Hormuz.
Bells rang in many parts of Israel, sending millions of people seeking refuge. The Israeli army said it intercepted the missiles, and several explosions were heard in the north. Less than an hour later, the military said people could leave the fortified areas when they came under missile attack.
“Iran made a big mistake,” said Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. Army officer, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, we said “will strike the enemy with determination as soon as the order is issued.”
But Israeli broadcaster Kan said US President Donald Trump told him he didn’t think Israel needed to respond.
Iran had warned that an attack on Beirut would reignite all-out war in the Mideast, as Pakistan and other mediators tried to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.
“US forces throughout the Middle East remain alert and ready,” US Central Command tweeted shortly before the missile launch.
Israel’s attack on Beirut came days after the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed to a ceasefire in talks hosted by the US, although Hezbollah rejected the deal. A strike in a residential building killed two people and injured 20, said the Ministry of Health in Lebanon.
Get the latest country news
Get the best Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
“The army will continue to operate throughout Lebanon,” an Israeli army spokesman said.
Israeli strikes and ground attacks in Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, as well as the terrorist group’s resistance to disarmament, have complicated an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.
Iran says any deal must include an end to fighting in Lebanon.
Trump told a Fox News Channel reporter that he wants the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that the Israeli strikes earlier on Sunday were not coordinated with the US and “I’m not happy about it.”
Israel on Monday announced it would strike areas south of the Lebanese capital, but emergency talks with Washington halted that on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.
Hezbollah, which it claims is responsible for the shooting in Israel earlier Sunday, wants direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to end. Instead, it supports Iran’s position that the ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington includes the status of Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election later this year, is under intense domestic pressure to respond to both Iran and the Hezbollah threat, which has crippled the lives of thousands of civilians along Israel’s northern border.
But Trump has made it clear that he does not want to see a war begin.
Trump said Sunday in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would like to see “more strikes on Hezbollah.” He also said that he “did not want” Lebanon to be part of the agreement to end the war in Iran.
Iran continues to insist that it holds the Strait of Hormuz and the US continues to block Iranian ports, while oil, natural gas and fertilizer exports have been affected and the world economy is suffering.
Iran has since launched missiles and drones in the Gulf countries and said it was targeting the American military. After its launch against Israel, the Civil Aviation Authority of Iraq announced that the country’s aviation will be closed for 72 hours and the aviation authorities in Syria announced the closure of flights for 12 hours.
Diplomacy continues before and after the launch of the missiles
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was in Tehran on Sunday to deliver a message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency. There were no details in the content of the message.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was appointed ruler of the Islamic Republic after the assassination of his father on February 28 as Israeli and US strikes sparked the war.
Pakistani authorities have said Islamabad, with support from countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, is working to help end tensions.
In Cairo, the Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers discussed “proposed elements” of a possible agreement between the US and Iran, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said, without details.
And after Iran fired missiles at Israel, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his counterparts in Britain, Egypt and Turkey as well as Pakistan’s army chief, Iran’s state TV said.
–Chehayeb reported from Beirut, Magdy from Cairo, Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Hassan Ammar in Lebanon, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Matthew Lee in Washington, Abby Sewell in Beirut, and Michelle L. Price in Bridgewater, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
