Iran shattered the fragile ceasefire that had largely held since April 8 by launching multiple ballistic missile barrages at Israel on Sunday, threatening to derail negotiations that President Donald Trump said were only days away from producing a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran.
The missile attack came hours after Israel struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district in response to rocket fire launched earlier on Sunday at northern Israeli communities, carrying out threats of retaliation that senior Iranian officials had issued throughout the day.
Israeli officials said roughly ten ballistic missiles were fired in several waves toward northern Israel, the Sharon region, and Samaria.
The Israel Defense Forces said all of the missiles were intercepted or struck open areas, though sirens sounded across large parts of the country, schools were ordered closed nationwide for Monday, and two people were reportedly injured while rushing to protected shelters.
As Israeli leaders weighed a response to the barrage, Trump moved quickly Sunday night to prevent the latest escalation from disrupting negotiations that he said were nearing a potential breakthrough.
“I am going to call Netanyahu right now and tell him not to strike back,” Trump told Axios shortly after the attack, arguing that another round of military escalation risked jeopardizing negotiations that appeared closer than ever to producing a broader agreement.
Trump stressed that talks with Tehran had entered a decisive stage.
“We are very close to a final deal with Iran. It is going to be a good deal. I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now,” he said.
The president also urged Tehran not to allow Sunday’s exchange to derail the negotiations.
“What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal,” Trump told Fox News.
Trump later told the Financial Times that Sunday’s missile attack would not alter his determination to pursue a diplomatic settlement and suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ultimately would have little choice but to accept whatever agreement Washington reaches with Tehran.
“He won’t have any choice,” Trump said. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
The president also dismissed suggestions that the missile barrage would derail diplomacy, telling the newspaper that the attack would have no meaningful effect on negotiations.
“I think the deal is going on,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. The deal may make it on its own merit, or not, but this will not have any effect on it.”
Trump further reiterated that if negotiations ultimately collapse, the United States remains prepared to pursue alternative measures, including maintaining the naval blockade that administration officials have repeatedly described as one of the most powerful sources of pressure on Tehran.
The missile barrage marked Iran’s first direct attack on Israel since the April 8 ceasefire and represented the most serious challenge yet to diplomatic efforts that have been underway for weeks.
Earlier Sunday, Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs after Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel in violation of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon last week.
Israeli officials said the strike targeted Hezbollah command infrastructure used to coordinate attacks against Israel. Lebanese authorities reported two fatalities and multiple injuries.
Tehran had repeatedly warned that any Israeli strike in Beirut would trigger retaliation, with several senior Iranian officials issuing increasingly explicit threats throughout the day.
Among them was Iranian parliament National Security Committee spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei, who vowed a “painful” response and warned Israelis to “watch the skies” later that evening.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has also played a central role in negotiations with Washington, accused the United States and Israel of violating understandings related to Lebanon and declared that American and Israeli assets throughout the region had become “legitimate targets.”
“They are neither committed to a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue,” Ghalibaf wrote on social media. “The naval blockade against the Iranian nation and America’s green light today to the Zionist regime turn American and regime bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets.”
After carrying out the missile attack, Iran’s military claimed Israel had crossed “all red lines” through its operations in Lebanon and warned that any further Israeli action would trigger additional attacks against both Israel and its supporters.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps similarly described the missile barrage as a warning and threatened broader strikes across the region if Israeli operations in Lebanon continue.
Israeli military leaders responded by making clear that preparations for further action were already underway.
“The Iranian terror regime made a grave mistake,” IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said, adding that Israel would not allow Tehran to establish what he described as a new equation regarding Lebanon.
Defrin said the military remained prepared for additional missile launches while senior commanders continued evaluating response options.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir subsequently conducted a series of consultations with senior commanders and approved operational plans for future action.
“The IDF will strike the enemy with determination as soon as the order is given,” Zamir said.
The question of whether, when, and how Israel would respond remained under discussion late on Sunday as Trump and Netanyahu held a phone conversation following the attack.
According to Israel Hayom, a senior White House official said Trump reaffirmed during the call that he remains committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and from threatening Israel or the broader region, while arguing that further escalation could jeopardize negotiations that may ultimately achieve those objectives.
The official said Trump urged restraint for the time being as diplomacy continues, maintaining that a negotiated agreement remains within reach despite Sunday’s exchange of fire.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, signaled that retaliation remains under active consideration even if it is not carried out immediately.
An Israeli security official told Hebrew media that Israel intends to respond to Iran’s missile attack while indicating that the timing remains under review.
“In Iran, they have forgotten that their skies belonged to the Israeli Air Force for two months,” the official said.
Hebrew media outlets reported that one option under consideration would be delaying any response for several days rather than acting immediately, though no final decision had been reached as security consultations continued late into the night.
The deliberations unfolded as Trump continued arguing that neither side should allow Sunday’s exchange to derail negotiations that he has repeatedly described as being within reach.
Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press in an interview that aired on Sunday, Trump expressed confidence that only a handful of issues remained unresolved.
“We’re very close,” Trump said. “We have a couple of points; they don’t even seem like big points.”
Trump also said Iran had already accepted a central U.S. demand by conceding “the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons.”
The coming days are now likely to determine if Sunday’s missile barrage proves to be a temporary setback in negotiations or the beginning of a broader regional escalation, as leaders in Jerusalem, Tehran, and Washington weigh their next moves.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.