Iran Launches Missiles at Israel in First Attack Since April Ceasefire

Iran launched missiles at northern Israel on Sunday evening, the first such attack since April, The Jerusalem Post reported. Air defense systems were activated and all projectiles were intercepted, according to the newspaper, citing military sources. However, new waves of attacks are expected in the coming hours; there is no information on casualties yet. Earlier on Sunday, Tehran threatened to retaliate against Israel's strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut, where Israel is targeting facilities of the Shiite armed group Hezbollah. According to sources cited by the publication, Israel is preparing a response to Iran's violation of the ceasefire. However, if Iran halts the attacks and there are no casualties, this could affect the scale of Israel's response. Since early April, a ceasefire between the US and Iran has been in effect, repeatedly on the verge of collapse. A key stumbling block is the parallel conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran. Iran, unlike the US and Israel, which try to separate these conflicts, insists that the ceasefire must be an unconditional cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Therefore, any escalation by Israel in Lebanon, where it strikes Hezbollah positions, is seen by Tehran as a violation of the overall ceasefire and leads to freezing or derailing negotiations with the US.