Iran attacks Israel after Beirut strike, threatens to collapse April ceasefire | Today’s news
Air raid sirens sounded in Israel on Sunday (June 7th) after the Israeli military detected several waves of rockets fired from Iran, the first such attack since an April ceasefire that halted direct hostilities between the two countries.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they identified the incoming rockets and activated air defense systems to intercept them.
“At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and engage threats where necessary to eliminate the threat,” the military said.
Iran calls attack ‘warning’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described the missile launch as a warning after Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut earlier in the day.
“Today’s operation was a warning,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
“If such aggressions are repeated, the responses will be broader and will cover all US-Zionist targets in the region.”
Iranian military officials blamed Israel for escalating tensions and said the attack in Beirut crossed a red line.
The head of Iran’s military Central Command said Israel had “crossed all red lines” and demanded an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Israel says the Beirut attack targeted a Hezbollah command center
Earlier on Sunday, Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, a southern suburb widely considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was carried out in response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.
According to Netanyahu’s office, the military “struck a militant command center in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood in response to Hezbollah fire on Israeli territory.”
The attack came after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at Israeli military positions that day.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the airstrike killed two people and wounded at least 20 others.
Ceasefire efforts are coming under pressure again
The latest escalation threatens an already fragile cease-fire that took effect on April 8 and has largely halted outright war between Iran, Israel and the United States.
Negotiations aimed at turning the cease-fire into a permanent deal have stalled repeatedly over disagreements over sanctions relief, an Iranian asset freeze and regional security measures.
Iran has repeatedly insisted that any comprehensive peace deal must also address the parallel conflict in Lebanon.
Hezbollah rejects US-backed ceasefire in Lebanon
The strike in Beirut followed renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanese border.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon into northern Israel on Sunday.
Israel responded by attacking two apartment buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The latest violence comes days after Hezbollah rejected a US-backed ceasefire proposal announced by the US State Department.
Under the proposal, Hezbollah would halt attacks on Israel and withdraw fighters from areas south of the Litani River. The group rejected the terms, insisting that Israel must first end military operations and withdraw from Lebanese territory.
Iran Warns US, Israel Assets ‘Legitimate Target’
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of supporting the attack in Beirut and warned of consequences.
“They are not committed to a ceasefire, nor do they believe in dialogue,” Qalibaf said.
He argued that the attack showed that the United States and Israel “only understand the language of power.”
Qalibaf added that US military installations and Israeli assets throughout the region have become “legitimate targets”.
A regional airspace closure follows a missile attack
After the missile launch, Iran announced the closure of the airspace over the western parts of the country.
Neighboring Iraq and Syria subsequently imposed restrictions on parts of their airspace due to fears of further military activity.
The measures underscored fears that the conflict could spread beyond its current fronts.
Pakistan’s mediation efforts continue
Despite renewed violence, diplomatic contacts continued over the weekend.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran with what Iranian state media described as a special message from Syed Asim Munir and Pakistan’s prime minister.
Naqvi said he would deliver a “special letter” to the Iranian leadership.
Pakistan’s army chief Munir has played a prominent role in mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington following previous rounds of direct talks.
Lebanese Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal traveled to Pakistan at the same time for discussions related to the mediation effort, according to sources.
Read also | Iran accuses the US of denying visas to key World Cup personnel despite the consent of the players
Dispute grows over frozen Iranian assets
Separately, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi criticized reports that the United States may use frozen Iranian assets to compensate regional allies for war-related damages.
“Our assets are neither spoils of war for Washington nor a payment fund for its allies,” Gharibabadi wrote on X.
Reuters reported that US officials are assessing whether some Iranian funds could be used to help Gulf allies recover from damage from the conflict.
Gharibabadi warned that any seizure or transfer of Iranian assets without Tehran’s consent would constitute “a new internationally illegal act”.
According to him, such a step would provoke an “appropriate reaction” from Iran.
Iran demands sanctions relief and asset release
Iran has made the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets a central demand in negotiations with the United States.
Tehran is also seeking the lifting of US and international sanctions and recognition of its strategic influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor.
Gharibabadi argued that some regional governments supported military operations against Iran and therefore had no reason to seek reparations.
The conflict in the Middle East has reached the 100-day mark
Sunday’s exchange of missile attacks came as the wider conflict in the Middle East entered its 100th day.
While diplomatic channels remain open, renewed hostilities between Iran, Israel and Hezbollah have raised new concerns that the region could be moving further away from a negotiated settlement and closer to a wider confrontation.
Read also | US, Iran exchange fire as Hormuz tensions persist
