Light trails left by Iranian missiles in the June sky over Lebanon, June 7, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient Today)
The Israeli army reported air raid sirens across Israel on Sunday as it intercepted waves of incoming Iranian missiles, the first such attack since the April cease-fire in the Middle East war, just hours after Tehran threatened retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut.
An April 8 cease-fire had halted major hostilities between Iran, Israel and the U.S., but efforts to turn the truce into a settlement have repeatedly stalled, and Sunday's launches were sure to further dampen hopes for a lasting peace, as the Middle East war reached its 100th day.
Tehran has insisted any deal to permanently end the war must also halt the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel is pursuing a campaign against the Iran-backed movement Hezbollah, and had warned that any new attacks on Beirut would trigger a "full-scale resumption" of hostilities.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that the army had "struck a militant command center in Beirut's southern suburbs, in response to Hezbollah's fire towards Israeli territory."
The strike killed two people and wounded 20 more, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Israel had warned it would hit the area should Hezbollah attack northern Israel, and the group later confirmed having launched missiles and drones at a pair of Israeli army barracks on Sunday morning.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and its chief negotiator in talks with Washington, accused the United States of having given a "green light" for the Beirut attack, saying U.S. and Israeli assets were now "legitimate targets."
Hours later, the Israeli military reported at least three waves of incoming missiles, saying its air defenses were "currently identifying and intercepting threats."
The head of Iran's military central command said Israel had "crossed all red lines" with the Beirut strike, demanding it halt its campaign in Lebanon.
"The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and the suburbs, and if it expands its attacks to that region or responds to Iran's action, it will face more devastating and regrettable blows," General Ali Abdollahi said.
