Iran and Israel pause strikes after rapid escalation of hostilities

Iran and Israel have announced a pause in their military operations against each other following a rapid escalation of hostilities over Sunday and Monday.

Israel and Iran appeared to back away from further strikes Monday, hours after they traded fire for the first time since the US agreed to a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. Both countries warned that they were ready to launch retaliatory attacks if provoked.

The renewed hostilities raised concerns that the Middle East could plunge back into a full-scale war.

Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict.

The new attacks prompted US President Donald Trump to call for an immediate stop to fighting between Israel and Iran.

Soon after, the Iranian military's joint command issued a statement that said it was halting offensive strikes. The statement said further "aggression and hostile acts" by Israel and its supporters, including in southern Lebanon, would be met with "much more severe and crushing measures than before."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in a videotaped statement, implied that the current round of fighting was over. But he also warned that if Iran "makes the mistake and returns to attacking us, we will respond with force."

Netanyahu said Israel is continuing to operate in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel "has full right to self-defense, and we will exercise it to the full extent necessary."

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the village of Zefta killed seven people Monday, including a Syrian child. Eight people were wounded. Another strike on the coastal city of Tyre killed five and wounded eight, some of them members of the Lebanese Red Cross, the ministry said.

Both countries lifted restrictions they had imposed as safety precautions. The Israeli military said most schools in Israel that closed Monday would reopen. Iran's official Mizan news agency reported that the Islamic Republic had lifted airspace restrictions affecting civilian flights.

During the truce, Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passage for the world's oil and natural gas whose closure was the primary reason global fuel prices skyrocketed. Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah, Iran's ally in Lebanon, and pushed deeper into that co