Middle East Crisis Iran War

Trump rages against attacks: “Israel and Iran must immediately cease firing”

Donald Trump appeals to both Israel and Iran to cease attacking each other. In a post on Truth Social after yesterday’s and today’s attacks, the American president writes that the countries must cease “firing” immediately.

Iran fired missiles at Israel on Sunday. Despite Trump advising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond, Israel’s military carried out attacks on Iran during the night and morning.

Air raid sirens sounded in central Israel this morning after new Iranian attacks.

An Israeli military source told Reuters that Israel is ready to take a wide range of measures against Iran. The current fighting could last for a few days or “as long as necessary,” the source said.

On Truth, Trump also wrote that both Israel and Iran want a ceasefire. Only “ignorance or stupidity” can hinder peace talks, the president said.

Iran accuses US of new attacks on the country

Iran accuses US of new attacks on the country. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference that the US is responsible for the renewed fighting.

Israel would never attack Iran "without coordination and cooperation" with the US, he said, according to AFP.

Iran fired missiles at Israel on Sunday and Israel responded by attacking central and western Iran during the night. On Monday morning, loud explosions were heard in the capital Tehran, according to the news agency.

The fighting comes after President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from new attacks.

Analysis: An escalation that could end the talks

Israel's attacks on Iran overnight were carried out despite US President Donald Trump advising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against attacking. The BBC's Sarah Smith notes that Netanyahu has now defied Trump twice, both regarding attacks on Lebanon and Iran.

"Trump was already angry that the Israeli prime minister ignored his warnings not to attack Beirut," she writes.

Trump is worried that the attacks will jeopardize the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran, according to Smith.

Sky News' Adam Parsons points out that it was Iran that attacked Israel first on Sunday. Netanyahu was therefore faced with a dilemma.

- He had either angered Donald Trump or a large part of the Israeli population, who expected a response.

Danish TV2's Middle East correspondent Benjamin Kürstein says the Iranian and Israeli attacks constitute a violent escalation.

– The escalation takes the war into a new chapter, and the coming days and hours will show whether this will get worse or whether it will stay here.

Kürstein emphasizes that negotiations were already going badly before last night's attack.