Israel launches strikes in Iran after Iranian missile attack – explosions in Tehran

Iran had previously threatened to attack US and Israeli targets in the region. Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf, who also serves as chief negotiator in the talks with Washington, accused the US of having given the "green light" to the attack in Beirut. He declared that US and Israeli facilities were now "legitimate targets."

Background to the escalation

According to Iranian statements, the attack on Israel was carried out in response to new Israeli strikes on suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday afternoon. The Iranian armed forces accused Israel of having "crossed all red lines" with the latest attack. Army commander Ali Abdollahi demanded in a statement broadcast on television that the Israeli military must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and the suburbs.

Iran's central military command confirmed the missile attacks, justifying them with alleged repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the Israeli military. According to this, Iran had classified the attacks as a "warning" following Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, whose southern suburbs are considered Hezbollah strongholds. Iran's Revolutionary Guards described the Iranian missile attack as a "warning" following Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, whose southern suburbs are considered Hezbollah strongholds.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the military had "attacked a command center of the militia in the Beirut district of Dahiyeh in response to the shelling of Israeli territory by Hezbollah." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke of an attack on "terrorist headquarters" in Beirut. Eyewitness videos showed thick plumes of smoke over the southern suburbs of Beirut, the so-called Dahiyeh, which is considered a Hezbollah stronghold but also densely populated. Eyewitnesses reported severe destruction of a building across multiple stories.

Casualties in Beirut and South Lebanon

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, two people were killed and 20 others injured in the Israeli airstrike on the Mreijeh area in Beirut. According to the report, two people were killed and 20 others were injured. Israeli attacks in Beirut thus claimed at least two lives, with two deaths.

In addition, an Israeli attack on a military vehicle in southern Lebanon killed two officers and one soldier, according to the Lebanese army. In total, there were three victims from the ranks of the Lebanese armed forces. The Lebanese army is not an active party to the war in the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia and remains neutral.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack on the vehicle. The vehicle had moved "suspiciously" toward Israeli soldiers, the army said. The vehicle had been located in a combat zone that had previously been evacuated. Movements in such evacuated zones had to be coordinated with the Israeli military. There had been concrete indications that Hezbollah intended to open fire on Israeli soldiers from there. The incident is being investigated.

Reactions of the Lebanese government

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the attack as a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty as well as of international law and international norms. The Lebanese army leadership sharply criticized Israel, stating that Israel is incessantly attacking Lebanon and its population. The attacks were aimed at thwarting all efforts to find a solution that would restore stability, achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, and enable the Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories. Aoun declared on the X platform that the escalation was occurring despite Lebanon's efforts to bring the Israeli attacks to an end through negotiations without deterrence.

Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said in a televised address that the attacks in Beirut had been carried out in response to the relentless attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia on northern Israel. Iran had made a "big mistake" by once again choosing "the path of terror." He announced that the Israeli armed forces would "continue their operations throughout Lebanon and intensify their measures against the terrorist organization Hezbollah."

During the Iranian attack, several missiles also entered Jordanian airspace, according to its government. In Iran's neighboring states of Iraq and Syria, airspace was temporarily closed. The US military said it had shot down two Iranian drones. This was announced by the responsible US regional command on the X platform.

Israel's Ministry of Education and the military announced in a joint statement that all schools would be closed. Israel's Home Front Command tightened security measures across the country. In the coming days, school operations would remain suspended, gatherings would be restricted, and the population was urged to keep access to shelters open. The international airport near Tel Aviv initially remained open, according to media reports.

Impact on the region

The Israeli military later also reported rocket fire from Yemen, from where the Iran-allied Houthis had previously carried out attacks on Israel. Air defense systems were in operation to repel the threat.

The Hezbollah militia rejected the terms of the negotiated ceasefire. It had not been involved in the negotiations. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the agreement between the Lebanese government and Israel. Tehran had previously warned that further Israeli attacks on the greater Beirut area would be regarded as a new stage of escalation in the regional confrontation.

US President Trump, however, urged Israel to refrain from counterattacks on Iran. He instead called, in an interview with the US news magazine "Axios," for both sides to return to the negotiating table. Trump then wanted to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone. "I will call Bibi immediately and tell him not to strike back," Trump said, using Netanyahu's nickname, according to "Axios" journalist Barak Ravid, who spoke with Trump by phone. "We don't need another attack," the US president is reported to have said.

Trump told the Israeli broadcaster Kan: "Israel has responded enough." In remarks to Fox News, he said the attacks on northern Israel would "not help" the negotiations with Tehran. Trump expressed concern about the escalation and said the Iranian attacks on northern Israel would "not help." A deal with Tehran had been very close, and he had expected it to be signed that very week. He told Axios that he remained confident an agreement could be reached soon and that Washington and Tehran were on the path to a "good" deal.

Position of the US administration

Trump demanded, according to Fox News, that both sides return to the negotiating table. He called on Iran, after the missile fire, to return to the negotiating table and conclude a deal. Trump also said that the negotiations with Iran could lead to an agreement "on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week." Trump stated that no Iran sanctions would be lifted without a peace agreement.

Israel's army chief Samir threatened Iran with a harsh response as soon as the green light was given for it. An unnamed Israeli government official told Ynet: "Iran can forget that we will accept this – the response will be harsh." The same official said Israel would "not allow them to set any new rules of the game and violate our sovereignty." An Israeli military spokesman said Iran had made a "grave mistake" with the new missile attacks.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, however, stated on the online service X that a resurgence of war between Iran and Israel was "in nobody's interest." Previously, after Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Iran's chief negotiator had threatened retaliation and foreshadowed attacks on US bases. Iranian negotiator threatens attacks on US bases.

Hezbollah tunnel system and background

The Israeli military also said it had uncovered an extensive Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the former Crusader fortress of Beaufort in southern Lebanon. The tunnel network, located only six kilometers from the Israeli border town of Metula, had served the pro-Iranian militia as a base for operations, the military said on Sunday. The tunnel system had been a "central hub of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in this area." According to the military, the tunnel system was financed by Iran and designed to provide shelter for hundreds of fighters. Among other things, weapons and equipment were found inside, as well as medical equipment and living quarters with showers, toilets, an operating room and kitchens.

According to Israeli Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz, Trump faces a particularly difficult strategic situation and is evidently prepared to strike a deal with Iran at almost any price in order to avoid sliding into a broader regional confrontation. This report was broadcast on 08.06.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.