US President Donald Trump on Monday told Iran and Israel to stop fighting after the two foes attacked each other's territory for the first time since a shaky ceasefire put five weeks of war on hold.
Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel overnight and Israel responded by targeting military sites in the Islamic republic, sparking fears the escalation could usher in a new full-scale conflict after the April 8 truce.
With Israel's response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently defied calls by his ally Trump for restraint, against the background of reports of an increasingly testy relationship between the two men."Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting.' President DONALD J. TRUMP," the US leader wrote on his Truth Social network.
Minutes later, he added in a new post that "final negotiations" towards peace were proceeding "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way."
Tehran's strikes followed attacks by Israel against targets of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Iran had repeatedly warned it would strike Israel if the Lebanese capital was targeted.
Oil prices surged more than five percent on worries that war could break out again, with hopes now punctured of a rapid end to the standoff that has seen shipping limited through the key Strait of Hormuz trade bottleneck amid fears of global energy and goods shortages.
- Diplomacy to be 'affected' -
The strikes also came at a critical moment with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict involving mediator Pakistan on a knife-edge.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP that is was "perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected."
But he added: "Diplomatic consultations are naturally continuing in all circumstances."
