Iran attacks Israel after Beirut strike, threatening breakdown of April ceasefire
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Sunday (June 7) after the Israeli military detected multiple waves of missiles launched from Iran, marking the first
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Sunday (June 7) after the Israeli military detected multiple waves of missiles launched from Iran, marking the first such attack since an April ceasefire halted direct hostilities between the two countries. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had identified incoming missiles and activated air defense systems to intercept them. "At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat," the military said. Iran calls attack a 'warning' Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described the missile launches as a warning following Israel's strike on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier in the day. "Tonight'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 accused Israel of escalating tensions and said the Beirut attack had 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 Beirut strike targeted Hezbollah command center Earlier on Sunday, Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, a southern suburb widely regarded as a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike was conducted in response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.
According to Netanyahu's office, the military had "struck a militant command centre in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, in response to Hezbollah's fire towards Israeli territory." The strike came after Hezbollah launched missiles and drones toward Israeli military positions earlier in the day. Lebanon's health ministry said the raid killed two people and wounded at least 20 others. Ceasefire efforts come under renewed strain The latest escalation threatens an already fragile ceasefire that took effect on April 8 and largely halted direct warfare between Iran, Israel and the United States. Negotiations aimed at transforming the truce into a permanent settlement have repeatedly stalled amid disagreements over sanctions relief, frozen Iranian assets and regional security arrangements. Iran has repeatedly insisted that any comprehensive peace agreement must also address the parallel conflict in Lebanon. Hezbollah rejects US-backed Lebanon ceasefire The Beirut strike followed renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanese border. The IDF said it intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon into northern Israel on Sunday. Israel responded by targeting two apartment buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs. 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 refused the terms, insisting that Israel must first end military operations and withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The BriefWire