TEHRAN — Follow Israeli attacks on Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan, Iran has launched a second wave of missiles towards its territory, with sirens sounding across the country, Israel’s military says, reports AlJKazeera.
The tensions escalated after Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding 20.
Iran had launched a wave of missiles at northern Israel following the attacks on Beirut, accusing Israel of repeatedly violating ceasefire agreements.
It’s the first time Iran and Israel have launched attacks at each other’s territory since the ceasefire came into force two months ago.
The Israeli military said on Monday that it had detected a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran, the sixth salvo since the latest flare-up in fighting began the previous day.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said, reports The Gaurdian.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said the US holds direct responsibility for the recent ceasefire breaches, adding that Israel’s military actions cannot be separated from US policies.
“The actions of the Zionist entity within the region cannot be looked at in isolation from the United States,” Baghaei was quoted as having said at a press conference.
“No one believes that the Israeli regime would take any action without coordination with the United States,” he said. “The United States bears responsibility for the Israeli regime’s aggression, and it will also be responsible for the consequences of any escalation in tensions.”
Meanwhile. US President Donald Trump has urged restraint during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and told The Financial Times that he is the one calling all the shots.
US-Israeli relations in a ‘tense state’
Ori Goldberg, an Israeli analyst and commentator, says that recent events will have a lasting impact on US-Israeli relations, which are in a “tense state” after Netanyahu ignored Trump’s call not to respond to Iranian strikes.
He noted that Trump’s request came days after he held an expletive-laden phone call with the Israeli leader over his plans for more airstrikes in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The call was initially leaked to the media before it was confirmed by the US president himself.
“Things Netanyahu could get away with when Joe Biden was president are very much not things he can get away with under a Trump presidency,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera.
Goldberg said he also does not believe that Israel is strong enough to resume all-out hostilities, especially without support from the US.
“Israel is way too weak politically – both internationally and domestically – to carry out a massive attack on its own,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday that “the shaky Zionist regime has few days left,” amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. — Agencies
