Israel strikes – Israel carried out airstrikes on central and western Iran early Monday, saying it hit “military targets” after missiles linked to Tehran were fired. The exchange unfolded with sirens in Israel after a missile launch from Yemen, expanding fears that the fragile
When Israel’s military said a missile launched from Yemen hit Israel on Monday, officials in the region were already bracing for escalation.
Early Monday. Israel launched airstrikes targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran. with Israeli officials describing the strikes as aimed at military targets. The attack followed a chain of retaliation that intensified concerns about whether the Middle East would tip back into a wider regional war.
Monday marked the 100th day of what is described as the Iran war, launched Feb. 28 after Israel and the United States killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders. The conflict then raged until reaching a nominal ceasefire on April 8, but a permanent end to hostilities has remained contested. Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz—through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime—has helped keep global energy supplies on edge. as have ongoing fights involving Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran. It did not immediately provide details. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere west of the capital. Iran also closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield.
On Israel’s side, sirens sounded across the country after Israel’s military said a missile launched from Yemen targeted it, without elaborating. Israel’s rescue services said there were no reports of casualties or impacts from the Yemen launch.
Yemen is home to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis have fired missiles at Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. and later—but they had not been fully involved in the Iran war. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack on Monday, though acknowledging assaults can take them hours or even days.
Iran’s state messaging after the strikes stayed tightly constrained. Officials offered no details about what had been struck or any damage information. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attack Monday morning, without elaborating.
At dawn, Israel’s military issued a short statement as the strikes began: “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.” It did not provide further details.
Saudi Arabia also responded to the unfolding threat. In an area home to an air base that hosts U.S. forces, missile alert sirens sounded Monday morning around Al Kharj governorate. Saudi state media reported the alert around Prince Sultan Air Base. and shortly afterward said the missile danger in the area had passed. without elaborating.
The White House did not respond to messages about whether the strikes were done in coordination with the United States. Still, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday that President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately for the Iranian missile attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe what was described as a private phone call.
The official said Trump believed he convinced Netanyahu to wait. “Trump ‘got Bibi to hold off for the time being,’” the official said, without offering any other details of the conversation. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
For days. negotiations between Iran and the United States over the fragile ceasefire had been stalled by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has occupied southern Lebanon and moved into areas of the country it hadn’t held in a quarter century. a shift that has fed fears about further widening of the campaign.
On Sunday, Israel launched airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Iran retaliated with its own strike on Israel, which led to Monday morning’s attack by Israel on Iran.
Trump has previously argued he controls the pace of decision-making. Earlier, he told a Fox News Channel reporter he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to negotiations. He also said that Israel’s strikes in Lebanon earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and that “I’m not happy about it.” Speaking to The Financial Times before the Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump insisted he dictated terms to Netanyahu about how the war should be prosecuted. telling the newspaper in a telephone interview. “He won’t have any choice.” Trump added. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”.
As the day’s strikes spread across multiple locations and airspace restrictions tightened around major airports. the question that hangs over the 100th day of the Iran war is whether the nominal ceasefire can survive the momentum of reciprocal attacks—or whether the region is moving back toward a larger conflict.
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Bridgewater, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
Israel Iran airstrikes Yemen missile Houthis Yemen-linked attack Trump Netanyahu ceasefire Strait of Hormuz Hezbollah Lebanon Imam Khomeini International Airport