Middle East crisis live: Iran launches missiles towards Israel after Lebanon airstrikes

The Israeli government’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said it is closing all crossings into Gaza after the missile attack by Iran.

“Following the missile attacks launched by Iran against the State of Israel, a number of necessary security measures have been implemented, including the closure of the crossings into the Gaza Strip, among them the Kerem Shalom Crossing and the Rafah Crossing, until further notice,” a statement posted on social media said.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi discussed the latest events in the region on Sunday night with his counterparts in Britain, France, and Turkey, as well as with Qatar’s leader and Pakistani mediators.

The separate conversations focused on Iran’s response to Israel’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon”, his ministry said in a brief statement to AFP.

The telephone calls, reported by the IRNA news agency citing the Iranian foreign ministry, came as Iran launched salvoes of missiles at Israel after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Araghchi spoke to Qatar’s prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the French, British and Turkish foreign ministers, and members of the Pakistani team attempting to mediate an agreement between Tehran and Washington to end the Middle East war.

• Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut earlier today despite its ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. The Lebanon health ministry says this attack killed two people and wounded 20 others.

• The Israeli military later said it identified missiles launched from Iran toward the state of Israel in an apparent retaliation. It was the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April. The Israeli military warned of a second barrage of missiles fired from Iran soon after the first.

• The Iranian missiles came shortly after Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei warned in a post on X that Tehran will give a “painful” response to Israel’s attack on Beirut’s Dahiyeh southern suburb, after the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

• Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, issued a threat to US bases and assets in the region, claiming that the latest military action turned them into “legitimate targets.”

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Israeli military must stop its attacks on Lebanon and warned that if Israel escalates its offensives in Lebanon or responds to Iran’s actions, it will face “more crushing and regretful blows.”

• Donald Trump told Fox News when asked about the incoming Iranian missiles that “It’s certainly not going to help negotiations.” He added: “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal.” When asked about Israel striking Beirut earlier today, Trump replied: “I’m not happy about it.”

The Israeli military vowed on Sunday to press ahead with its military campaign in Lebanon and said it would step up operations against Hezbollah.

“The (Iranian) regime is attempting to establish a new equation through direct attacks on Israeli territory in response to IDF operations in Dahiyeh,” military spokesman brigadier general Effie Defrin said, in a televised statement.

“We struck in Dahiyeh in response to Hezbollah’s relentless attacks on the communities of northern Israel. The IDF will continue to operate throughout Lebanon and will intensify its actions against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation.”

“The Iranian terrorist regime has made a grave mistake by once again choosing the path of terror,” Defrin said.

Barak Ravid, correspondent for Axios, said Trump told him during a phone call Sunday: “The Iranian missile fire didn’t hit anyone. I hope Israel doesn’t respond. If Bibi attacks them back, it’ll just drag on like it has for the past 47 years, or the past 3,000 years.”

“We’re very close to a final deal with Iran. It’ll be a good deal. I don’t want it to blow up because of what’s happening now,” Trump added.

He also said: “I’m about to call Bibi right now and tell him not to respond. Both of them have already done their part. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one.”

Iran closed the airspace over the west of the country on Sunday after launching a salvo of missiles towards Israel in response to its latest strike on Lebanon.

“Due to safety and security assessments… the western part of the country’s airspace was declared closed until further notice,” said Majid Akhavan, the spokesman for the National Civil Aviation Organisation, in a statement carried by the news agency IRNA.

The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority has announced a temporary closure of its airspace for 12 hours, suspending operations at Damascus International Airport amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

Iraq has also temporarily closed its airspace and suspended air navigation, civil aviation officials told Al Jazeera.

Iran’s military central command said Sunday that Israel’s latest strike on the southern Beirut suburbs had “crossed all red lines”, demanding a halt to its campaign in Lebanon.

“The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and the suburbs, and if it expands its attacks to that region or responds to Iran’s action, it will face more devastating and regrettable blows,” said general Ali Abdollahi, the head of the Khatam al-Anbiya command, without directly mentioning missile salvos that Israel said it was intercepting.

Trey Yingst, a correspondent for Fox News, says he spoke with Trump following the reports of Iranian missiles launched at Israel.

“What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal,” Trump said.

“It’s certainly not going to help negotiations,” Trump told Fox News when told about the incoming Iranian missiles

When asked about Israel striking Beirut earlier today, he replied: “I’m not happy about it.”

Mohsen Rezaei, the military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, has posted on social media about the missiles launched towards Israel.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran had repeatedly declared that it would not tolerate violations of the ceasefire or aggression against Lebanon,” he wrote on X. “Tonight, the aggressors received their response. This response is a warning for them to cease their villainy; every new action will be met with a more crushing response and heavier costs.”

The Israel military says it has intercepted all missiles fired by Iran so far, multiple outlets are reporting.

Axios reported that Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation as Israel reports a second wave of missiles fired from Iran.

Barak Ravid, a correspondent for Axios, said in an X post that an Israeli official told him Israel plans to retaliate to the Iranian attack.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said the Israeli military must stop its attacks on Lebanon and warned that if Israel escalates its offensives in Lebanon or responds to Iran’s actions, it will face “more crushing and regretful blows”, according to Reuters.