In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, tensions surged between Israel and Iran as both nations exchanged fire early Monday, escalating fears of a potential regional conflict in the Middle East.
Israeli officials reported that Iran launched two missile barrages aimed at Israeli territory, prompting authorities to advise civilians to find refuge. The sounds of explosions reverberated through central Israel as the country’s air defense systems worked to intercept the Iranian missiles.
This Iranian assault followed Israel’s own attacks on Iranian targets in the central and western regions earlier that same day, marking the most severe exchange since a ceasefire was agreed upon on April 8 in the ongoing conflict.
Iran had previously issued a stern warning on Sunday, vowing retaliation after Israeli forces struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, acting against Washington’s recent call to de-escalate tensions.
Monday also signified a significant milestone, marking the 100th day since the conflict commenced on February 28. The conflict initially began with a controversial strike by Israel and the United States, which resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other prominent Iranian figures. Although a temporary ceasefire was established in April, achieving lasting peace remains elusive due to Iran’s strategic hold over the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial passage for global oil and natural gas trade—and ongoing skirmishes between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Amidst these tensions, the global energy market faces uncertainty, with Iran retaining a significant stockpile of enriched uranium. The situation is further complicated by the apparent involvement of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Monday’s hostilities, raising concerns that the conflict may reignite in full force.
Israel strikes Iran
Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere to the west of the country’s capital city. Iran closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield, after the Israeli attack.
Officials offered no details on what had been struck, nor any damage information. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said that Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attack Monday morning, without elaborating.
The semiofficial Fars and Mehr news agencies said Israeli strikes had hit a petrochemical factory in the city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan province. It did not elaborate on damage.
The Israeli military later confirmed the strike on the petrochemical plant.
Earlier Monday, sirens sounded across Israel after its military said a missile launched from Yemen targeted the country, without elaborating. Israel’s rescue services said there were no reports of casualties or impacts from the launch from Yemen.
Yemen is home to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis have fired missiles at Israel during the Israel-Hamas war and later, but haven’t been fully involved in the Iran war. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
In Saudi Arabia, missile alert sirens sounded Monday morning in an area home to an air base that hosts U.S. forces. Saudi state media reported the alert around its Al Kharj governorate, home to Prince Sultan Air Base. The alert came after Israel’s strikes on Iran. Saudi Arabia, shortly after, said the missile danger in the area had passed, without elaborating.
Trump says ‘I call the shots,’ not Israel
The White House did not respond to messages about the Israeli strikes and whether they were done in coordination with the U.S.
A senior U.S. official on Sunday said U.S. President Donald Trump had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately for the Iranian missile attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private phone call, said that Trump believed he had convinced Netanyahu to wait.
Trump “got Bibi to hold off for the time being,” the official said. The official would not offer any other details of the call, and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
For days, negotiations between Iran and the United States over the fragile ceasefire in the war had been stalled by the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Israel now occupies southern Lebanon and has moved into areas of the country it hasn’t held in a quarter century – leading to fears about them further widening their 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 earlier told a Fox News Channel reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel’s strikes in Lebanon earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and “I’m not happy about it.”
Speaking to The Financial Times before the Israeli strikes on Iran, Trump insisted he dictated terms to Netanyahu on how the war should be prosecuted.
“He won’t have any choice,” Trump told the newspaper in a telephone interview. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”
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