Iran's military command on Monday announced it was halting its operation against Israel after the two sides exchanged fire for the first time since a truce took effect in April. Iran had delivered a "painful response" to Israel and "accordingly, the cessation of armed forces operations is hereby announced", the Khatam al-Anbiya command said in a statement carried by state television.
Warning of Severe Consequences
However, it is emphasised that should acts of aggression and hostility continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow, the statement added.
An Israeli military official said Iran fired nearly 30 missiles towards Israel since Sunday night, in the first exchange of fire between the two countries since a truce in April. "Last night the Iranian regime began firing ballistic missiles towards Israel ... they fired close to 30 ballistic missiles towards Israel," the official told journalists on Monday, adding that Yemen's Houthi rebels separately fired two missiles at the country.
Retaliatory Strikes
Israel's military said earlier on Monday it had struck several targets at a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran in retaliation. "In this complex, chemical materials are produced and used for ballistic missiles that are fired towards here, towards the state of Israel," the official said. "The strikes and the damage to the complex disrupt their ability to manufacture various types of weapons."
The Israeli military also struck Iranian air defence systems. The official said the Israeli military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, had spoken twice to the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) over the past day. "Over the past day, the IDF chief of the general staff has spoken twice to the commander of CENTCOM and they are discussing the situation," the official said, without elaborating.
Air raid sirens sounded across large areas of northern and central Israel, with explosions heard over Jerusalem earlier on Monday, AFP journalists reported. The exchange of fire between the two countries is the first such since a truce was announced on April 8 in the Middle East War.
