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Updated 9 June 2026 - Iran and Israel have paused military strikes against each other after days of escalating hostilities, with both sides signaling conditional restraint amid intense US diplomatic pressure.
Ceasefire declarations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel was temporarily holding fire, though he emphasized that the broader conflict with Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah remained unresolved. Hours earlier, Iran's military stated it had concluded a "painful response" to Israeli strikes but warned of "more severe" retaliation if Israel resumed attacks, particularly in Lebanon.
US helicopter incident
Separately, a US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed in the Strait of Hormuz early Monday while patrolling regional waters. US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the aircraft went down near Oman's coast, with both crew members rescued unharmed at 03:33 local time (00:33 BST). The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Recent exchanges
The latest round of hostilities began Sunday when Iran launched missiles at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut. Israel responded predawn Monday, targeting what it described as military sites in Iran, including a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr linked to ballistic missile production. Iran reported 14 injuries in Mahshahr and one in Tehran.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed five people and wounded eight in the southern city of Tyre, including four Red Cross rescuers, according to the health ministry. Hezbollah claimed it fired rockets at Israeli military vehicles in southern Lebanon on Monday morning.
US diplomatic intervention
President Donald Trump said he urged both nations to "immediately stop 'shooting'" to avoid derailing negotiations for a regional ceasefire. In a call with the BBC, Trump denied Netanyahu had defied his warnings, stating Israeli strikes were already underway when he intervened. "All I did is say, 'We have to use sense,'" he said, adding that a deal was "very close" and could be finalized within days.
"If I tell him to do something, he does it."
President Donald Trump, speaking to Axios
Trump told Axios he warned Netanyahu that Israel risked fighting alone if it resumed hostilities. Netanyahu countered in a televised address that Israel retained "a full right to self-defense" and would exercise it as needed.
Negotiations and demands
The US has been pressing Israel to de-escalate to facilitate a broader deal with Iran, which insists the agreement must address the Lebanon conflict. Hezbollah has rejected a US-brokered ceasefire, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, accused the US of fueling tensions through "ceasefire violations and naval blockades," referring to the US blockade of Iranian ports. "We are not going to fight or negotiate, but we will fight on our own time and negotiate on our own time," he stated.
Casualties and regional impact
The war, which began on 28 February after a joint US-Israeli strike killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has claimed thousands of lives. Iran's Martyrs Foundation reports 3,468 deaths in Iran, while the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) cites 3,636 fatalities, including 1,701 civilians. Lebanon's health ministry counts 3,613 deaths from Israeli attacks, without distinguishing combatants.
Israeli authorities report 20 civilian deaths from Iranian missile strikes, plus 30 soldiers and four civilians killed in clashes with Hezbollah. Thirteen US service members have died, seven in Iranian attacks in the Gulf. Regional allies-Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE-have suffered 29 fatalities from Iranian strikes.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route, has been effectively blocked since the war's onset, driving global oil prices higher.
