Israel Strikes Iran Defying Trump, as Missiles Rain on Both Sides

by | Jun 8, 2026 | News

flying rocket during daytime

Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military targets and a petrochemical facility early Monday, defying public calls from President Trump to hold back — and Iran responded with fresh waves of ballistic missiles.

The IDF said dozens of fighter jets struck Iranian air defense systems across central and western Iran, targeting infrastructure that had been rebuilt since the recent war. A petrochemical complex in the Mahshahr area of Khuzestan Province was also hit, with the military saying it produced components critical to Iran’s ballistic missile program. Iranian reports said 15 sites were struck in total.

Iran fired four separate missile salvos at Israel in response, with the IDF reporting 24 ballistic missiles launched since Sunday night — all intercepted or landed in open areas. Yemen’s Houthis joined in, firing two missiles at Tel Aviv; one was intercepted, one failed to reach Israel. No fatalities were reported, though a missile fragment damaged homes in a West Bank settlement.

The flare-up began Sunday when Iran struck northern Israel in retaliation for an IDF strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut. Trump reportedly convinced Netanyahu to delay retaliation — the Israeli premier reportedly “pseudo-agreed,” according to Axios — but Israel struck anyway hours later.

Trump publicly insisted he “calls all the shots,” while US Ambassador Mike Huckabee took a sharply hawkish tone, calling Tehran the “Mothership of Satan.” A US defense official confirmed American forces played no role in the overnight strikes.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington defended the response: “No self-respecting country in the world would tolerate such an attack, and neither will Israel.”

Israel shuttered schools and limited public gatherings. Iran closed western airspace. The Houthis declared a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea.

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