Shafaqna Pakistan: Israel and Iran exchanged fire in the early hours of Monday in a series of retaliatory strikes that raised fears of a broader regional conflict across the Middle East. At the same time, Yemen’s Houthi rebels also launched attacks toward Israel and issued warnings that they would target Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea, further intensifying the escalation.
Israel carried out strikes on central and western areas of Iran early Monday, saying the action came in response to missile fire launched from Tehran. In turn, Iran responded with multiple waves of attacks, marking one of the most serious exchanges between the two sides since a ceasefire reported on April 8.
In Israel, explosions were heard in central regions as air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming Iranian missiles. Air raid sirens were also activated across neighboring Jordan amid concerns over incoming projectiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it had struck two military bases inside Israel, saying the operation was part of what it called “Operation Nasr,” meaning “Victory.” The IRGC further claimed the missile strikes were launched in response to Israeli attacks on radar installations located in three different areas inside Iran.
Tehran warned of retaliation on Sunday after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down.
Monday marked the 100th day of the Iran war, launched Feb. 28 when Israel and the United States killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders.
The war raged until the two sides reached a ceasefire on April 8, but efforts at a permanent end to the hostilities have been challenged by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime, as well as fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
With global energy supplies threatened, Iran still holding a vast stockpile of highly enriched uranium and Yemen’s Houthi rebels getting involved in the fighting Monday, the risk of the war fully erupting again appears to be rising.
Diplomats race to save ceasefire
Two regional officials said concerted diplomatic efforts were underway Monday to salvage the ceasefire between Iran and the United States after the exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran.
Officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and Qatar, have urged the US administration to pressure Israel to rein in its strikes on Iran and Beirut. They have also urged Iranian officials to stop attacks on Israel, they said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
One of the officials, who is involved in mediation efforts between Iran and the US, said the Pakistan-led mediators were furious about the Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which came while Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran in a fresh bid to push US-Iranian negotiations forward.
The mediators told the US administration that the Israeli strike on Beirut meant “to disrupt our efforts to reach a deal” and that “Trump has to stop Netanyahu’s reckless maneuvers.”
Source: Dunya News
