West Asia is on edge again today after Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles targeting northern Israel, shattering a fragile multi-week ceasefire and triggering airspace closures across the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes were aimed at Israel’s Ramat David airbase, which Tehran identified as the launch point for Israeli jets that struck the Dahieh district of Beirut on Sunday. Lebanese health officials say the Beirut strikes killed two people and wounded at least 11 others. Israel confirmed the cross-border missile arrivals and said its air defence systems were activated.
In response, the Israeli military said its Air Force has struck military targets in western and central Iran, describing them as belonging to what it called the “Iranian terror regime,” according to an IDF statement posted a short while ago. The statement did not immediately provide further details on the sites targeted or the extent of damage.
The spiralling exchange has brought immediate and sweeping disruption to regional aviation. Iraq has shut its airspace for 72 hours. Syria has closed its southern air corridors and suspended operations at Damascus international airport. Iran has declared the western part of its airspace closed until further notice. Adding to the tensions, the United States has circulated a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, ahead of its June 8 Board of Governors meeting. The resolution calls on Iran to provide details on the condition of its bombed nuclear facilities and the whereabouts of its enriched uranium stockpiles.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that U.S. bases and Israeli assets across the region are now considered what he called “legitimate targets.” Qalibaf accused Washington of supporting Israeli military operations in Lebanon, further escalating the war of words between Tehran and its regional rivals.
Tehran framed the operation as a calibrated act of deterrence. The Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, the command centre of Iran’s armed forces, had warned that any strike on the Lebanese capital would cross a red line. By targeting a specific military installation rather than population centres, Iranian military leadership signalled it wanted to impose a cost on Israel without collapsing ongoing negotiations toward a lasting regional peace agreement. The strikes also carried a broader message toward Washington. Iranian officials, including parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, had expressed deep frustration over the ongoing U.S. naval blockade restricting maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and alleged that Washington effectively authorised Israel’s latest Lebanon operations.
President Donald Trump has urged restraint on all sides. Speaking to the press, Trump addressed Tehran directly , telling Iran it had fired its missiles and should now return to the negotiating table. He simultaneously pressed Israel against a military retaliation, seeking to prevent a total collapse of broader diplomatic efforts. Oil markets have responded sharply, with U.S. crude rising three percent and global benchmarks close behind as traders factor in renewed risk to Gulf energy transit routes.
