Israel strikes Iran despite Trump plea as Middle East crisis threatens to escalate

Israel launched airstrikes targeting central and western Iran on Monday, seemingly disregarding a call for restraint from former U.S. President Donald Trump. This exchange of direct strikes, the first between the two nations since April, escalates tensions and threatens to plunge the Middle East into a broader regional conflict.

The Iranian missile attack on Sunday night, which prompted Israel's retaliation, was itself a response to earlier Israeli strikes on Beirut. Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple cities, including Tehran, and the Revolutionary Guards indicated the use of air-launched ballistic missiles. Iran subsequently closed airspace around its main international airport.

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I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.

Former President Trump had reportedly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate immediately for Iran's missile attack, stating that he, Trump, "calls all the shots." The White House has not commented on the strikes or any potential coordination with the U.S.

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I'm not happy about it.

Further signs of regional instability emerged as Saudi Arabia sounded missile alert sirens near a base hosting U.S. forces, and Israel reported intercepting a missile launched from Yemen. Houthi rebels in Yemen, aligned with Iran, have previously targeted Israel.

Earlier, Iran launched approximately 10 ballistic missiles at northern Israel in response to an Israeli bombing of a target in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, which killed two people and wounded 20. Israel's military stated all Iranian missiles were intercepted or struck open areas. Netanyahu's office confirmed the strike on a "militant command center" in response to Hezbollah firing towards Israeli territory.

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US and Israeli assets were now legitimate targets.