Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said attacks on Iran are on hold Monday, just hours after his country launched retaliatory missile attacks on the Islamic republic.
In a short video address, Mr. Netanyahu said that “fire is on hold” against Iran, but Israel would not hesitate to resume strikes if attacked again.
“If they make a mistake and resume attacks, we will respond powerfully. Israel has the right to defend itself and we implement it when needed,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
He added that Iran and it militant group Hezbollah sought to establish a “new equation” by attacking Israel over its operations in Lebanon, adding that it was “unbearable and unacceptable to me.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s comments follow a phone conversation with President Trump in which the U.S. leader told his Israeli counterpart not to retaliate against Iran. Mr. Trump reportedly told Mr. Netanyahu that he was close to finalizing a deal with Tehran and that further strikes could jeopardize peace.
In his remarks on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu said he had argued for Israel’s full right to self-defense with Mr. Trump during the phone call and did not confirm whether the president told him to halt further strikes on Iran.
SEE ALSO: Iran says military operations against Israel are paused after retaliatory attacks
Fighting between Iran and Israel restarted Sunday following Israeli strikes near Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Iran has repeatedly warned over the past week that Israeli attacks near the city could inspire a response from Tehran.
Shortly after the Israeli strikes, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel. The Israeli military responded with attacks on sites in western and southern Iran, including Mahshahr, Iran’s largest petrochemical complex.
Iran separately on Monday warned that it could strike at energy infrastructure across the region, much like it had done during the first phase of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, if Israel did not stop its offensive operations in Lebanon.
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