Iran, Israel signal halt to mutual strikes, while risk of renewed fighting remains

TEHRAN/JERUSALEM -- Iran and Israel on Monday signaled a halt to their strikes against each other after a series of mutual attacks from Sunday night, which marked the most serious escalation since the ceasefire in April.

In a statement, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced the cessation of strikes against Israel, but warned that any further Israeli "aggression and malicious acts," including in southern Lebanon, would trigger a much more "severe and crushing" response from Tehran.

It said the Iranian armed forces' actions were carried out in support of the Lebanese people following Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and the Dahieh district south of Beirut. It also accused the United States of backing Israeli operations and said that Israel should have learned its lesson from Iran's response.

Also on Monday, an Israeli official told Israel's Channel 12 TV news that the country would halt its airstrikes in Iran at the request of US President Donald Trump.

The official, however, said that the Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon would continue in the coming days "at full force." He added that Israel will also bomb Dahieh, Beirut's southern suburb, if the attacks on Israeli communities and civilians continue.

Israel's military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon were the main trigger for this escalation. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday, which killed at least two people.

Following the Israeli operations, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its aerospace force had launched ballistic missiles at the Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel in response to Israel's "widespread crimes" in southern Lebanon.

The IRGC continued its attacks on Monday by targeting the Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases as well as certain industries in Israel.

In response, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes on several targets in Iran, including a petrochemical company in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.