Iran Fires Missiles at Israel as Trump Seeks De-escalation

On Sunday, United State President Donald Trump advise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoid to launch any counterstrikes following Iran’s missile attack on Israeli sites. As reported by Axios the attack came as retaliation for previous Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Beirut.

Reports further state that, according to Iran, no peace agreement with the US is possible without a ceasefire in Lebanon. Since March Israel has been involved in ongoing fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israel launched airstrikes in the Beirut area earlier on Sunday, marking its first such action since a U.S.-supported truce proposal for Lebanon.

According to the Israeli military, Iranian missiles were detected and intercepted by air defense systems, with damage still unconfirmed.

A U.S. official told Reuters that Trump, who spent the weekend at his New Jersey golf club had been updated on growing tensions between Iran and Israel, and the White House did not respond immediately

Trump said the condition would not help peace talks and commended Iran to return to negotiations. He also said he was not happy about the Israeli strike on Beirut, speaking to Fox News.

He plans to speak with Netanyahu and urge him not to respond militarily, told Axios.

In the meantime, Iran’s chief negotiator said that U.S. bases and Israeli assets might be regarded as legitimate targets over alleged Lebanon agreement violations.

An Israeli official responded by saying Israel would retaliate against any Iranian attacks and would treat them as an opportunity to continue its military campaign.

Even as tensions continue, Washington and Tehran have made little progress toward a peace deal, with Trump warned that the United States could restart strikes if no agreement is reached in time.