Netanyahu says Israel is holding off attacks on Iran 'for now' – BBC

Home Latest News Netanyahu says Israel is holding off attacks on Iran 'for now' – BBC
Netanyahu says Israel is holding off attacks on Iran 'for now' – BBC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that his country will hold off on attacking Iran "for now" but warns Israel will respond "forcefully" if strikes resume
In a televised address he says "the fire is contained", after Iran earlier announced that it would stop striking Israel
Both sides have promised to retaliate if fighting begins again, and Iran has warned of a "severe" response if the Israel Defence Forces continues striking southern Lebanon
The pause in hostilities follows calls from US President Donald Trump for both sides to stop "shooting"
Did Netanyahu defy Trump on striking Iran? Although that's one prevailing narrative, the answer is almost certainly no, writes our US State Department correspondent
Israel carried out air strikes in western and central Iran after Iran began firing missiles at Israel on Sunday
Edited by Jamie Whitehead and Caitlin Wilson
The Israeli military has announced the lifting of restrictions in some parts of the country.
Several areas of northern Israel including Sifsufa, Meron, Or HaGanuz and Sde Eliezer will move to a "partial activity level" beginning Tuesday morning.
This means schools and workplaces can gather again indoors or in locations close to bomb shelters. Up to 100 people may gather outdoors and 400 indoors.
The rest of Israel has no restrictions. The change comes as both Iran and Israel signalled a halt in the latest round of conflict which has seen missiles fired in each other's direction.
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation has said that Iran will be resuming flights hours after cancelling them earlier today.
According to Iranian outlets, Abouzar Shiroudi has said that following the announcement earlier by the authorities that the "military operations have ended", the country's airspace has "returned back to normal" and aviation operations will "resume".
A group sunvathes the beach in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre as smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the village of Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain
Here are the latest updates on the resumption of strikes between Iran and Israel.
Today, Iran said it had ceased attacks on Israel, but would resume them if Israel continued strikes in Lebanon.
Israel's defence minister Israel Katz recently said its military will continue to operate in southern Lebanon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested the fight with Hezbollah and Iran was not over yet.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of military action, citing "Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement".
Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that the country would "not retreat in the face of any threat".
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu had called to discuss the Iran-Israel exchanges of fire.
And, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged "all sides" to exercise restraint, especially when "the final objective is just about to be achieved".
In Europe, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had sanctioned Iranians over "restricting naval traffic" in the Strait of Hormuz – more about that here.
Reports emerged earlier today that Israel and Iran had both agreed to halt attacks on each other after Tehran attacked Israel in response to Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had hit a petrochemical plant in northern Israel after the IDF said it launched strikes on targets at an Iranian petrochemical facility.
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

The Israelis will have calculated they could not let Iran's strikes – in retaliation for its attacks on Beirut – pass. But Iran's calculation here is critical too: The Iranian leadership were testing Trump as much as the Israelis.
Tehran wants at least two things from Washington as a priority: One is access to money (it is under considerable economic pressure particularly with the US blockade). The other is to deter Israeli escalation against its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
By striking Israel, Iran was also testing how far Washington would respond. Tehran senses Trump's appetite for risk is currently low, although each action may be pushing his patience. Trump responded to its ballistic missile strikes by – at least publicly – calling for restraint and by keeping the US itself out of the fight.
So Tehran's leaders will sense that they still have considerable leverage: On the battlefield by forcing some brakes on Israel's actions in Lebanon, and on the negotiating table as they press the Americans for sanctions relief and access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets from its oil revenues.
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

After Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel, Trump spoke to several journalists, telling one he was "going to call [Netanyahu] right now and tell him not to retaliate". The implication was an Israeli attack on Iran could jeopardise his already perilously fragile diplomacy with Tehran.
Hours later, Israel attacked Iran with waves of airstrikes targeting air defences and a petrochemical complex.
Did Netanyahu defy Trump? Although that's one prevailing narrative, the answer is almost certainly no.
The US currently has its biggest military presence in the region since the invasion of Iraq. It has hundreds of military personnel in Israel liaising with the IDF. In this case Israel would have needed to coordinate with US forces based in the region over air routes. The IDF briefed Israeli journalists after the strikes there was "full coordination" with US Central Command. It said the US military also helped shoot down missiles fired by Iran at Israel.
It is inconceivable that Israel could have attacked Iran without at least Trump’s tacit consent. As the veteran US negotiator Aaron David Miller told the BBC this morning, Trump would have given Netanyahu a "blinking yellow light".
The Israel Defense Forces has issued an "urgent alert" to residents of southern Lebanon, particularly those in the Ziqoq Al-Mufdi area, urging them to evacuate their homes and move north.
"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," Arabic-language spokesman for the IDF Avichay Adraee wrote on X. "The Defense Army does not intend to harm you."
"Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means is endangering their life!"
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'If Iran attacks Israel again, we will strike with full force'
We have just heard from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a televised statement, he describes Iran and Hezbollah as weaker than ever, and says Israel is holding off attacks on Iran for now, but suggests a fight with them is not yet over.
"At the moment, the fire is contained," because Israel has responded to Iran's strikes, he says.
He says that if "Iran makes the mistake and attacks us again – we will respond forcefully," adding "Israel has a full right to self-defence and we exercise it to the extent necessary".
Netanyahu also mentions his conversations with US President Trump, who he is known to have spoken to since strikes began on Sunday.
Israel's defence minister Israel Katz says that the country's military will continue to operate in Lebanon, after exchanging strikes with Iran over the last day.
Katz says that the IDF will continue to operate against Hezbollah and Israel rejects threats from Iran.
Earlier Iran said that it had ceased its attacks on Israel, but would resume them if Israel continued strikes in Lebanon.
By Kellie Highet and Kumar Malhotra
We’ve verified two videos from today showing the aftermath of apparent Israeli strikes in the Tyre region of southern Lebanon.
One was filmed from the port in Tyre and shows a large cloud of smoke rising up from elsewhere in the city. Buildings and other features on a jetty enabled us to confirm the location it was filmed from.
Another video was filmed in Burj al-Shamali, east of Tyre, which shows extensive damage to buildings along one of its main streets. We matched some of the buildings to satellite imagery on Google Earth.
As well as checking where the footage was filmed we also confirmed the videos were taken and uploaded today.
We've received pictures from Reuters showing the damage caused to a building in an Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
It comes after Iran launched missiles towards central and southern parts of Israel, which Israel says were intercepted.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

A White House official has confirmed to the BBC that President Trump called Netanyahu to discuss the Iran-Israel exchanges of fire.
No further details have been provided.
Earlier, Israel's Channel 12 news outlet reported that Israel would stop attacks on Iran "at Trump's request", citing a senior Israeli official.
The IDF says a projectile struck an area in southern Lebanon where its soldiers are operating.
The strike triggered sirens in the nearby area of Zar'it, close to the border in northern Israel, but no injuries were reported, it added in a statement on Telegram.
In a few moments, our correspondents will be answering your questions live.
Among those will be our diplomatic correspondent Caroline Hawley, Siavash Ardalan from BBC Persian, North America correspondent Tomos Morgan in Washington DC and Samira Hussain.
You can watch along by clicking Watch live above.
After the exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel reports are emerging that both countries will halt attacks against the other.
Meanwhile, a semblance of normality is present in daily life in Tehran, as these pictures from today show:
A woman walks down a busy street in Tehran
People attend a market selling toys and flowers
A woman walks past a site of rubble in Tehran
People in Tehran walk through the streets buying groceries
Our colleagues at BBC Persian have been hearing from people in Iran today.
One person says that Iranians are "exhausted" as they ask "both sides to end the war".
"People will suffer greatly in all this, whether they support it or oppose it," another adds.
"But the reality is that Iran, our homeland, is becoming a victim of greed and excessive ambitions."
One man says he is "constantly worried" the internet will be cut off – "and we don't know where this war is heading".
Another person says: "The country's situation is already chaotic, and people are paying an even greater price for this endless conflict between Iran and America. Most people just hope it ends as soon as possible so the country can return to some degree of stability."
Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif is urging "all sides" to exercise restraint in the pursuit of peace, especially when "the final objective is just about to be achieved", in a message on social media.
Iran's military said it would stop strikes on Israel earlier, but warned that if attacks on Lebanon continue that it would respond more severely than before. Israeli media has also reported that Israel would stop attacks on Iran "at Trump's request".
In a post on X, Shehbaz says: "The recent surge in violence in the Middle East is a stark reminder of the dangers associated with a tenuous ceasefire and the unbearable consequences it may lead to.
"As we work earnestly and painstakingly, together with our brothers and partners, to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, and especially when the final objective is just about to be achieved, we sincerely urge all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance."
Pakistan has been a key mediator between Iran and the US.
One round of negotiations between Iranian and US delegations mediated through Pakistan happened on 11-12 April in Islamabad.
The capital prepared for further talks later that month though these did not materialise.
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company has said in a statement that all flights in Iran have been cancelled until further notice.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation announced last night that the western part of the country's airspace had been closed.
Iran had started resuming some of its passenger flights from late April, following the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US on 8 April.
The country had largely closed its airspace after US and Israeli strikes on 28 February when the war started.
Some of Iran’s airports, including Tehran’s Mehrabad, were attacked during the war.
Satellite images shows Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran, before (above) and after (below) a reported attack in early March
Kaja Kallas is the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief says member states have sanctioned Iran over "restricting naval traffic" in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Kaja Kallas says: "The Middle East is stuck in phases of peace talks and fragile ceasefires.
"Tehran's drones continue to threaten maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Ministers were clear that Iran's actions are unacceptable.
"In response, EU Member States in Brussels today sanctioned Iranians over restricting naval traffic in the Strait."
She says the EU has sanctioned Iranian individuals and entities involved in the disruption.
AFP reports that this includes blacklisting Mohammad Akbarzadeh, spokesman for the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and placing Hamid Hosseini, a representative of Iran's oil exporters union, under an asset freeze and visa ban.
Kallas says this is the first time the EU is applying its new freedom of navigation sanctions regime.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says three missiles targeting its forces in southern Lebanon were launched from the country by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group .
The military says "some of the launches were intercepted" before crossing into Israeli territory while another "fell near the forces", adding that there were no casualties.
It adds that sirens were activated as a result of the incident, with the military's Home Front Command telling residents of several settlements in the north of Israel to enter protected areas.
Residents were told they can leave the protected areas in another update issued about four minutes later.
Israel is stopping attacks on Iran "at Trump's request", Israel's Channel 12 news outlet reports, citing a senior Israeli official.
The report adds that Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon will continue if Hezbollah attacks Israel.
There have been reports in both Israeli and US media of a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu held today, though details of what was discussed have not been released.
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