Iran launches first missiles at Israel since April truce; Trump urges Netanyahu not to retaliate

Tensions flared between Iran and Israel after Tehran launched missiles toward Israel, marking the first direct confrontation since an April ceasefire. The exchange followed an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate. "I'm going to call Bibi right now and tell him, 'Don't do it,'" Trump told Axios. He added, "Both sides have taken a hit. Israel attacked, Iran attacked. We don't need to be doing it anymore." Trump noted that the Iranian attack did not cause any injuries and expressed a desire to avoid further escalation, which he believes could jeopardize a potential final agreement with Iran.

Iran's missile launch was reportedly in retaliation for Israel's airstrike on the Dahyeh district in Beirut, which targeted Hezbollah sites. According to Lebanon's health ministry, the Israeli strike killed two people and injured twenty. Israel stated its action was a response to Hezbollah's attack on northern Israel earlier that day, though Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility.

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I'm going to call Bibi right now and tell him, 'Don't do it.' Both sides have taken a hit. Israel attacked, Iran attacked. We don't need to be doing it anymore.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps warned of broader and more powerful attacks if Israel continued its actions or retaliated. They claimed one target was the Ramat David airbase in northern Israel. A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that the U.S. was not involved in the Beirut airstrike, a point Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with in a Fox News Sunday interview.

Despite Trump's call for de-escalation, Israel indicated it might retaliate. Israeli military spokesperson Efi Defrin stated, "The Iranian regime made a grave mistake," and vowed that Israel would not allow the regime to "set a new equation."

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The Iranian regime made a grave mistake. We will not allow the Iranian regime to set a new equation.