Iran, Israel trade missile strikes on day 100 of war

Iran fired missiles at Israeli territory for the first time since a truce took effect, on Sunday — the 100th day of the Israel-Iran war — prompting Israeli airstrikes on military targets in western and central Iran and raising tensions across the Middle East.

The Israel Defense Forces said it detected two waves of missiles launched from Iran 15 minutes apart that evening and intercepted all of them using its air defense systems. Local media reported Iran fired 11 ballistic missiles toward northern Israel. The IDF then announced it had carried out strikes on military targets in western and central Iran. Explosions were heard in parts of Iran, including the capital Tehran, local media said.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel and parts of Jordan following the Iranian launch, but no casualties or property damage had been reported as of Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.

The IDF vowed a forceful response. In a statement, the military said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was assessing the situation and that it would "strike the enemy decisively the moment government orders are given." It said "the Iranian regime has made a serious mistake" and that the IDF would "continue operating throughout Lebanon and intensify its actions against the Hezbollah terrorist organization." The military added that it would not allow Iran to "create a new balance of power."

Iran launched the missiles in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon. Earlier Sunday, the IDF announced it had struck a Hezbollah headquarters on the southern outskirts of Beirut "in response to Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli territory."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that it had fired ballistic missiles at Israel's Ramat David air base, calling Monday night's operation "only a warning" and threatening "a broader response" if provocations continued. Iran's Foreign Ministry also warned that any further Israeli military action against Lebanon or Iran would face a "harsh and comprehensive" response.

The attack marked the first time Iran had struck Israeli territory since the US-Iran truce took effect April 8. Fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah had continued throughout the truce period, and Iran's direct intervention now threatens to complicate ongoing end-of-war negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

President Donald Trump moved quickly to defuse the situation. In a Fox News interview, Trump said he wanted to tell Iran: "You fired your missiles — now stop and come back to the negotiating table and make a deal," adding that the attack "will not help the negotiations at all." He said talks were progressing toward a deal that could be reached by Monday, Tuesday or at the latest Wednesday.

Trump told the Financial Times that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will have no choice," saying: "I make the decisions. I make all the decisions. He doesn't have decision-making power." In a separate interview with Axios, Trump said he would call Netanyahu immediately to tell him not to retaliate. "Both sides have done enough. Israel attacked and Iran attacked. We don't need another attack," he said.