Iran to resume missile operations if Israel attacks Lebanon, MP says

Israel’s security cabinet decided to halt strikes in Iran but continue military operations in southern Lebanon, despite Tehran’s demand for a ceasefire across Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

The decision means the Israel Defense Forces will keep operating in southern Lebanon, even as Israel pauses attacks on Iranian targets.

After a lengthy security cabinet debate, ministers decided the IDF would keep clearing Hezbollah hideouts from villages in southern Lebanon’s security zone, though Israel’s next move remains unclear if Hezbollah continues firing, amid calls by some ministers to expand operations to Beirut’s Dahiyeh, Israel Hayom reported.

A US official quoted by CNN denied Israel’s claim that the United States intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel late Sunday.

The official said the US military “didn’t intercept any” of the Iranian missiles fired overnight, a notable shift from previous rounds of conflict with Iran, when the US used significant numbers of its own missile interceptors to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.

The denial contradicted an assertion earlier Monday by an Israeli military official who said the US assisted Israel’s air defense efforts, including by intercepting some of the Iranian missiles.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged all sides in the Middle East to exercise restraint, warning that the recent surge in violence showed the dangers of a fragile ceasefire and the devastating consequences of renewed escalation.

Sharif said Pakistan was working “earnestly and painstakingly” with its partners to seek a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, adding that the final objective appeared close to being achieved.

“We sincerely urge all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance,” Sharif said.

He called on the parties to remain on the path of diplomacy rather than “violence and destruction,” saying peace efforts still had “bright prospects of success.”

The burial of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will take place after funeral processions in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, and will not be held simultaneously with the main mourning ceremonies, a provincial official said.

The funeral procession will begin in Tehran, where three days of public mourning and one day of ceremonies are planned, the deputy governor for security affairs in Khorasan Razavi province said.

The official added that one day of funeral ceremonies would then be held in Qom, followed by another day in Mashhad.

Khamenei will be buried at the shrine of Imam Reza in the religious city of Mashhad under what the official described as "appropriate conditions."

All flights at Iran's airports have been cancelled until further notice, the Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company said on Monday.

The company asked passengers not to go to airports until authorities announce normal operations have resumed.