The Israeli military said its forces targeted Iranian regime sites early on June 8 in retaliation for Tehran’s latest attacks on Israel and shortly after US President Donald Trump said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike back.
“The Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran a short while ago,” the Israel Defense Forces wrote on X early on June 8 without immediately elaborating.
Iranian state TV said explosions were heard in cities throughout the country, including Tehran, Karaj, Tabriz, and Isfahan. Details were not immediately available.
The strikes come after Iran fired a barrage of missiles toward Israel in its first attacks on the country since a shaky cease-fire took effect on April 8, saying it was in retaliation for Tel Aviv’s military strikes on Beirut.
A streak of light illuminates the sky during an Iranian missile attack toward Israel as seen from the city of Ashkelon.
Despite Iran’s action, Trump had said a deal with Tehran to turn a cease-fire into a peace settlement was still “very close,” adding that he did not want Iran’s missile strikes on Israel to blow up the peace process.
Trump told Fox News that he was “not happy” about Israel’s attacks on Lebanon before being quoted by media outlet Axios that the Iranian strikes “didn’t hit anyone. I hope Israel doesn’t respond.”
“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate,” Trump was quoted as telling Axios reporter Barak Ravid in a phone interview, using the Israeli leader’s nickname.
“Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” Trump said, according to Ravid.
“We’re very close. I would say an agreement would be signed on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week. And now this takes place,” Trump told Fox, adding Iran needs to “get back to the table and make a deal.”
Trump later told The Financial Times that the latest Iranian strikes would not impact current negotiations with Tehran and that “the deal is going on.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the latest strikes or whether they were carried out in coordination with the US.
Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on national security, said the latest escalation between Iran and Israel “perhaps is the clearest indication yet that we are nowhere close to a long-lasting peace settlement with Iran.”
“It is also a reminder that Israel will do whatever it believes is necessary to defend its national interests, even if that means going against the reported wishes of the US president,” he told RFE/RL.
IRGC Confirms Attack
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that it had launched missiles toward Israel on June 7, saying they were in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Lebanon earlier in the day.
It added that “more crushing and regretful blows” would follow if Tel Aviv continues its offensive in Lebanon.
While talks between the US and Iran to end the war in the Middle East have appeared to stall over key issues such as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian officials have maintained that the conflict between Israel and Lebanon is also central to efforts to end the regional war.
The IRGC said it hit the Ramat David airbase southeast of Haifa with ballistic missiles. The specific site was not immediately confirmed by Israel.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said air raid sirens sounded in several areas across the country “following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel.”
US President Trump said he will call the Israeli leader and “tell him not to strike back” at Iran.
“The IDF intercepted all missiles from Iran thus far. The IDF has currently identified additional launches fired toward the State of Israel,” it said.
“The Aerial Defense Array is currently identifying and intercepting threats.”
The IDF added that Tehran “committed grave mistake” by firing the missiles.
Israel Vows To Press On In Lebanon
Israel has been launching strikes targeting militants in Lebanon from Hezbollah since March 2, two days after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran.
Hezbollah — — which has been labeled a terrorist organization by Washington, while the EJU has only blacklisted its armed wing — is a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military vowed to carry on with its military campaign on the territory of its northern neighbor and would step up attacks on Hezbollah.
