Iran has launched its first missile barrage against Israel since April, firing waves of strikes that landed on Israeli territory without causing casualties — as Donald Trump simultaneously warned Tehran it had gone far enough and claimed a final nuclear deal could be within reach within 24 hours.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed the strikes, describing them as a warning rather than a full assault. The IRGC’s top joint military command said the barrage was a direct response to Israel’s bombardment of the Dahieh area of Beirut and issued an explicit threat of escalation. “We had previously warned that if the crimes in the Dahieh area of Beirut expand, we will attack targets in the occupied territories,” the IRGC said, adding that Israel would face “more crushing and regretful blows” if it expanded its attacks or retaliated against Iran. Ebrahim Rezaei, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran had repeatedly warned it would not tolerate ceasefire violations. “The aggressors received their response tonight,” he said.
The strikes came just hours after Israel launched a deadly attack on Beirut — itself a violation of a ceasefire agreed in US-hosted talks between the Lebanese and Israeli governments. Iran has made clear that any broader deal to end the regional conflict must include a halt to the fighting in Lebanon, and Israel’s continued ground operations and bombardments in pursuit of Hezbollah have become the central obstacle to an agreement.
Trump reacted with unusual urgency, using a Fox News appearance to send a direct message to Tehran. “What I would suggest to Iran is, you have shot your missiles — that’s enough,” he said. He later told Axios the United States was “very close to a final deal with Iran” and expressed concern the moment could slip away. “I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now. The Iranian strikes did not hurt anybody. Hopefully, Israel is not going to retaliate.” He confirmed he had urged Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond to the Iranian barrage and said the deal on the table would be “a good deal” for Israel. The US military, he added, remained on alert and prepared to act if necessary.
On Israel’s bombing of Beirut, which triggered the Iranian response, Trump was pointed. “I’m not happy about it,” he said, confirming the strike had not been coordinated with Washington.
Israel has not yet responded militarily to the Iranian missiles, but an IDF spokesperson said Iran had made “a grave mistake.” The exchange marks the most dangerous escalation between the two countries since April, when Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israeli territory that was largely intercepted. The latest strikes arrive as the conflict reaches the symbolic 100-day mark, with mediation efforts now further complicated by the breakdown of the Lebanon ceasefire and the renewed Iranian military action.
