Israel and Iran exchange strikes after U.S. president urged restraint
Israel conducted airstrikes on Iranian targets following Iranian missile launches at Israel. The exchanges occurred despite a prior U.S. request to limit escalation and came after an earlier ceasefire.
thehindu.comIsrael carried out airstrikes on sites in Iran over the weekend after Iran launched missiles at Israel. Iran stated the missile attack was retaliation for earlier Israeli strikes on Beirut. The president later told the BBC that Israeli aircraft were already en route when the call occurred and denied that Netanyahu had defied instructions.
Background to the exchanges The weekend strikes marked the first direct Israeli attacks on Iran since an April ceasefire. They followed more than three months after U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran that began earlier this year. Both sides signaled Monday that the latest round of strikes had concluded while warning of further retaliation if the other side resumed attacks.
He posted that the country had not abandoned either the battlefield or negotiations. The U.S. president said in a separate interview that a nuclear agreement with Iran remained a priority and described the recent strikes by both sides as completed. Iran seeks sanctions relief and limits on Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of any talks.
The U.S. president stated he would not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift sanctions in advance of an agreement.
