First strike on Israeli territory since April 8 truce; Iran warns of 'more destructive' response if attacks continue

Israeli military says all missiles intercepted; senior official vows strong retaliation

Donald Trump urges Iran to stand down, warns against escalation

Missile trails over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Sunday. [AFP]
Missile trails over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Sunday. [AFP]

Iran launched missiles at northern Israel on Sunday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

The Israeli military said it identified two waves of missiles fired from Iran that evening, 15 minutes apart, and intercepted them using its air defense systems. Local media reported that Iran fired approximately 10 ballistic missiles toward Israel.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its aerospace force had fired ballistic missiles targeting Israel's Ramat David Air Base. "The operation on the night of Monday is only a warning," the IRGC said. "If the provocations are repeated, a broader response will follow."

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel and in Jordan following the launch, but no impacts, casualties or material damage had been reported, the Times of Israel said.

Israel's Home Front Command, the country's civil defense authority, ordered all schools in the northern region to close.

The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates Iran's armed forces, said in a statement issued immediately after the launch that "despite prior warnings from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Zionist regime has crossed all red lines, intensified its attacks on southern Lebanon and targeted the Dahiyeh district of Beirut." It demanded that Israeli forces "immediately halt attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahiyeh," warning that any escalation or counterattack would bring "a more destructive and painful blow."

A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that all US military bases in the region would become "legitimate targets" for Iran if Israel continued its attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security advisory meeting in response to the missile strike. Channel 12 reported, citing a senior official, that Israel would respond forcefully to Iran's attack.

The strike marked the first Iranian attack on Israeli territory since a truce between the United States and Iran took effect on April 8. Armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continued throughout more than a month of the ceasefire, ultimately drawing Iran into a retaliatory strike and further complicating US-Iran end-of-war negotiations.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had struck a "terrorist" headquarters on the southern outskirts of Beirut in retaliation for Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory.

The targeted Dahiyeh district on Beirut's southern edge is a known stronghold of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. Lebanon's Health Ministry said the Israeli strikes killed at least two people and wounded 20. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament and a former lead negotiator in end-of-war talks, sharply condemned the Beirut strikes and signaled that retaliation was coming.

US President Donald Trump called on Iran to stand down during a phone interview with Fox News on Sunday, after Iran fired missiles at Israel.

Trump told Iran to "stop it now — you fired your missiles," Fox News reported.


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