Iran launched ballistic missiles toward northern Israel on Sunday. The strike represents the first direct Iranian attack on Israel since a ceasefire halted the U.S.-Israeli war with Tehran in April, and coincides with the 100th day since the conflict initially began.
“The IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted to X.
Newsweek reached out to White House on Sunday afternoon.
Retaliatory Strikes and Diplomatic Stalls
Iranian officials indicated that the missile strike was a retaliatory measure. The country’s embassy in South Africa stated in a post on X on Sunday, “We warned that repeated violations of the ceasefire would not go unanswered.”
President Donald Trump responded to the escalation on Fox News on Sunday, saying, “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal.”
The Trump administration has been actively engaged in talks with Iranian officials to secure a broader agreement to permanently end the conflict. However, negotiations have repeatedly stalled, with both nations trading accusations regarding enforcement and preconditions.
“It’s certainly not going to help negotiations,” Trump added on Sunday.
Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported on X that Trump stated he would call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate against Iran.
The missile launches occurred hours after Iranian officials warned of retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on the southern outskirts of Beirut. Those airstrikes are part of an ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon.
There were no immediate reports of casualties resulting from the Iranian missile launches. The Associated Press reported that after Iran’s missile launches at Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with counterparts in France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Egypt and Turkey as well as Pakistan’s army chief.
Trump expressed disapproval of Israel’s recent operations in Beirut on Sunday, stating he was “not happy about it.”
Meanwhile, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Trump said the U.S. is prepared to resume military operations against Iran should ongoing diplomatic efforts falter. The president told Kristen Welker that his administration will either secure a comprehensive agreement to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions or “blow the hell out of them.”
Ceasefire at Risk
Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief peace negotiator, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, declared that U.S. bases and Israeli assets are now legitimate targets due to hostile acts, including the “violation of agreements over Lebanon.”
“They showed that they only understand the language of power,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
Qalibaf also cited the ongoing U.S. naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for oil shipments that Iran effectively shut down earlier in the war, writing: “The naval blockade against the Iranian nation and America’s green light today to the Zionist regime turn American and regime bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets.”
While Tehran had refrained from targeting Israel directly since the implementation of the ceasefire, its proxy Hezbollah has continued to execute strikes.
The United States and Israel launched a coordinated offensive against Iran in late February, triggering weeks of intense fighting that killed thousands and rattled global markets. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S.-aligned countries in the Gulf, escalating tensions across the region.
The fallout extended to global energy markets, with Iran restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—disrupting flows and helping push energy prices higher as transit through the route remained constrained.
Since early April, both sides have observed the fragile truce while the Trump administration has sought a broader agreement with Iran, though negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough.
“We’re very close,” Trump said Sunday. “I would say an agreement would be signed on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week. And now this takes place.”
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