Israel sounded the airstrike alert on Sunday as its forces intercepted missiles from Iran for the first time since a ceasefire in the Mideast war in April.
The Israeli army reported the attack just hours after Tehran threatened to retaliate against a new Israeli attack on Beirut.
The April 8 ceasefire ended major hostilities between Iran, Israel and the United States, but efforts to turn the ceasefire into reconciliation have repeatedly stalled, and Sunday’s launch is certain to further dampen hopes for a lasting peace as the war in the Middle East enters its 100th day.
Tehran insists any deal to permanently end the war must stop parallel conflicts in Lebanon, where Israel is conducting operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and warned that any new attacks on Beirut would trigger a “full resumption” of hostilities.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the army “attacked a militant command center in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district in response to Hezbollah firing on Israeli territory.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said two people were killed and 20 injured in the attack.
Israel had warned that Hezbollah would attack northern Israel if the group attacked the area, and the group later confirmed it had fired missiles and drones at two Israeli military camps on Sunday morning.
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of “giving the green light” to the Beirut attack during talks with Washington, saying American and Israeli assets were now “legitimate targets.”
Hours later, the Israeli military reported at least three waves of incoming missiles, saying its air defenses were “currently identifying and intercepting threats.”
The head of Iran’s Central Military Command said that Israel’s attack on Beirut “crossed all red lines” and asked it to stop its operations in Lebanon.
General Ali Abdullahi said: “The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and its suburbs. It will face even more devastating and regrettable blows if it expands its attacks into the region or responds to Iranian actions.”
-“numb”-
The sharp escalation comes as Iranians have been feeling the pinch of weeks of uncertainty.
“I’m really numb,” Ahvaz-based fitness instructor Ellahi told AFP.
“Everyday life? It’s a joke. Everything is terrible. We just want to survive,” the 32-year-old added, referring to rising prices.
Farhad, a 35-year-old chef, also said life was becoming “increasingly difficult,” noting that economic difficulties arose even before the war.
“Things you might have considered buying a few months ago have now become dreams and fairy tales,” he told AFP.
There were some signs over the weekend that diplomatic efforts were underway, with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran.
Upon his arrival on Saturday, Naqvi said he would deliver a “special letter” from Pakistan’s army chief and a message from the prime minister to Iran’s supreme leader, Iranian state television reported.
Pakistani military leader Saeed Asim Munir has played a key role in mediating between Iran and the United States following the first round of direct talks in Islamabad.
Also on Saturday, Lebanese Army Chief of Staff Rodolfo Haikal traveled to Pakistan for talks with Munir, with a source familiar with his visit saying it was “related to Pakistani mediation” between Tehran and Washington.
-“deadlock”-
Mohsen Rezai, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told CNN that negotiations with the United States are “at an impasse and Trump must break it” and called for the release of about $24 billion in Iranian frozen assets.
But Trump said in the same interview that he would not unfreeze Iranian assets until a preliminary deal was reached with Tehran. “If they’re doing well, if they’re doing well, we start talking,” he said.
In fact, Washington may seek to use the funds to pay for damage caused by Iran’s attacks on Gulf allies, according to sources familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant’s thinking.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command said overnight it had destroyed two Iranian drones that “threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Previous drone interceptions and attacks on Iranian radar stations prompted Tehran to fire a series of missiles at U.S. allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday.
bur/smw/dc
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
