During the night, Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles for the first time since the ceasefire on April 8. Israel struck back.
This is reported by The Times of Israel.
Israel initially reported two ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory. It later emerged that at least ten missiles were fired.
According to the Israeli military, all targets were intercepted by air defenses or fell in open terrain. There is no information about casualties or damage.
After the attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strike was a "warning" to Israel and the United States, threatening a larger response against American and Israeli targets in the region if the "aggression" was repeated.
In response, Israel attacked Iran, the Israeli military said, striking multiple targets at a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran. Meanwhile, Iran continued to attack Israel in the morning.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
The United States and Iran have been exchanging blows periodically in recent weeks, but neither side has claimed to have violated the ceasefire, which remains in effect. In particular, on June 3, Iranian drones struck an airport in Kuwait, killing one person and suspending commercial flights. Iran said it struck a US base in Kuwait.
Oil prices rose again as the conflict in the Middle East escalated during talks between Tehran and Washington.
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