Jerusalem, Israel. Israel launched renewed strikes on Iran on Monday despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s public call to hold fire, in a move seen as an effort to assert its interests in ongoing U.S.-led peace negotiations. The strikes marked Israel’s first attack on Iran since a ceasefire in April.
Exchange of strikes resumes briefly
Iran had fired missiles at Israel, which Tehran said were retaliatory strikes for Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s capital. Israel and Iran both said they halted the exchange on Monday shortly after Trump told them to stop shooting, though both left open the possibility of renewed hostilities.
Message to Washington
Israel’s decision to strike appeared intended to signal to Washington that no final agreement with Iran can be reached without taking Israeli interests into account, according to Danny Orbach, a military historian at Israel’s Hebrew University.
He said that if an agreement “tramples too heavily on Israeli interests, Israel can overturn the table.”
Trump seeks settlement while excluding Israel
Trump, who launched the war alongside Israel in February, has been attempting to secure a negotiated settlement with Iran while excluding Israel from the talks. He has also publicly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid actions that could undermine the negotiations, including by maintaining restraint in Lebanon.
Israel invaded Lebanon in March in pursuit of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement.
Lebanon ceasefire linked to Iran talks
Iran has said it will not agree to any peace deal with Washington unless a ceasefire also holds in Lebanon.
Last week, Netanyahu canceled planned airstrikes on Beirut after a phone call with Trump. Trump later confirmed he had called Netanyahu “fucking crazy” during the heated exchange, while also saying that they still get along well.
Domestic criticism of Netanyahu
Netanyahu’s domestic critics accused him of effectively surrendering sovereignty by limiting Israeli military action in order to preserve U.S. negotiations, while Israel remained excluded from the negotiating table.