Middle East crisis live: Iran warns of ‘imminent’ response to Israeli strike on Beirut as ceasefire deal looks shaky

From 3h agoIran’s highest national security body warned on Sunday that a response was “imminent” following an Israeli strike targeting Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburbs.“The response of the fighters of Islam is imminent,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement on X. “Lebanon is our life and violation of the red lines of the Islamic Republic will not be tolerated.”

Key events28m agoIran's foreign ministry says it hold US responsible for Israel attacks in Lebanon1h agoFlights in western Iran cancelled, state media says3h agoIran warns 'imminent' response coming to Israeli strike on Beirut4h agoTrump says he will ask Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes on Beirut, reports say6h agoTrump says Israel's attack on Beirut 'should not have happened'6h agoIranian media says US-Iran deal not yet finalised7h agoIran military official reportedly says Beirut attack will not go 'unanswered'8h agoIran's top negotiator says Israeli attack on Beirut suburbs shows US lacks will or ability to fulfill commitments8h agoSummary of the day so far10h agoExplosions heard in Beirut as Israel targets southern suburbs of Lebanese city11h agoIran media says Tehran 'not yet' taken final decision on US peace deal13h agoIsrael army issues evacuation order for 29 south Lebanon villages13h agoQatari negotiators flew to Tehran in effort to finalise deal to end war with US, source and Iranian media says13h agoTrump says Iran deal will be signed today but Tehran casts doubt on timingAli Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a statement on X that “zero hour has arrived.”“A computational error in Beirut exhausted patience, and the order was issued,” he wrote. “Zero hour has arrived, and the launchers are preparing”.

“If the fire of mischief in Lebanon is not extinguished, the two powerful geographic arms—Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab—will squeeze your economic lifelines to the point of strategic suffocation,” he added.Iran’s foreign ministry said that it holds the US directly responsible for Israel’s ceasefire breaches in Lebanon, Reuters is reporting, following the recent Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs.UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres criticized Israel’s strikes on Beirut that threatened US plans for Washington and Tehran to sign a framework peace deal later in the day.

“The strikes took place despite the ceasefire and at a time when the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are expected to reach an agreement that will pave the way to a peaceful resolution of this conflict,” he said in a statement.“I urge all parties to show maximum restraint at this crucial moment and I strongly hope for a successful outcome of the ongoing efforts by the US and Iran,” he added.Iran’s state broadcaster said that flights at airports in the west of the country are cancelled, after Tehran warned it would respond to an Israeli attack on Beirut.

“Flights from airports in the western part of the country have been cancelled until further notice,” state television reported following the warning from Iran’s top security body.Gaza’s civil defence service and hospitals said Israeli attacks killed at least six people on Sunday in the latest violence to hit the Palestinian territory despite a months-old ceasefire, AFP reported.The Israeli military said it has killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on southern Lebanon.

Ali Mussa Dakdouk was targeted on Friday in an area south of the Litani River, Israel Defence Forces said.It described him as having “served as a source of knowledge with extensive operational experience”.The IDF added that in recent years, Dakdouk “played a central role in advancing terrorist attacks and combat operations against Israel and IDF soldiers”.

An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has responded to Israel’s attack in Beirut by writing on X: “We will teach the attackers a regrettable lesson.”Donald Trump was forced to call for restraint on Sunday after Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Beirut as mediators sought to conclude negotiations on a preliminary peace deal between Iran and the US that would bring the three-month war in the Middle East to a definitive end.Trump played down new Israeli strikes but said “all sides should stand down”.

“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon … There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – Let’s not blow it!”

the US president posted to his social media site.Trump had previously suggested the US could sign an agreement with Iran on Sunday, but as the evening came in the Middle East, there was no sign of a breakthrough. Instead, Iranian officials threatened a military response to the Israeli attack on Beirut, which destroyed a building in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, killing three and injuring six.

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