Combat between Iran and Israel was suspended yesterday (Monday), with each side, however, threatening the other with retaliation in the event of a new attack.

Iran first announced that stops its military operation against Israel, following a message from US President Donald Trump, who called on the parties to cease fire “immediately”. “Hostilities on this front have been suspended,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed afterwards.

In an indication of the return of calm, Tehran’s main international airport announced early this morning that it had restored “normalcy” to its operations, the day after opening airspace that had been closed on Sunday and Monday.

After 100 days of war and two months after a ceasefire was announced on April 8, explosions and sirens sounded again in Tehran and Tel Aviv the day before yesterday, Sunday, and yesterday, Monday. Since Sunday night, Iranian armed forces have fired some thirty ballistic missiles against Israeli territory, according to an Israeli army officer, in retaliation for an Israeli strike on a southern Beirut neighborhood, a stronghold of the Tehran-affiliated Hezbollah, which left two dead and twenty wounded.

At noon yesterday, the Iranian armed forces command announced the “end of the operation”which it called a “harsh retaliation” to Israel. However, it indicated that “in the event of a continuation of the offensive and hostilities, including in southern Lebanon”, “much harsher actions” would follow.

Mohammad Bayr Galibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and a key negotiator for Tehran – and a retired Revolutionary Guards officer – said Iran had “broken the equation that was the ceasefire on paper and its systematic violation on the ground”.

In a similar tone, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that his army will retaliate “strongly” against any new Iranian attack.

Mr. Netanyahu, who ordered bombing of Iran over the objection raised by the US president, added, “respectfully”, that Israel would exercise its right to “defend itself” “whenever necessary”.

Israeli Minister Israel Kats added that his country “will continue to act” against Hezbollah.

Tehran insists that the issue of Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah must be included in any settlement of the wider Middle East war. Washington wants the Lebanon issue to be separated, to be resolved in a second time.

Israeli bombing continued yesterday in southern Lebanon, targeting fifteen communities, including Tyre.

Hezbollah, on the other hand, claimed responsibility for new attacks against Israeli armed forces in southern Lebanon, but not against northern Israel.

The Israeli military said three shells were launched “in the direction of Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon” and that one shell “fell near troops”, without mentioning injuries.

The Houthis

Donald Trump, who has in recent times expressed resentment and disagreement with Mr. Netanyahu, called him on Monday, according to the White House, and demanded a cessation of hostilities before the Iranian announcement.

“Both sides, Israel and Iran, must cease fire immediately,” said the US president, who reportedly wants to turn the page on this war, which is highly unpopular in the US, as the midterm elections of his second term in office approach.

The at least temporary new flare-up will “hurt” talks with the US, although consultations with Pakistan, which is mediating, are continuing, Iranian diplomats said, which Mr Trump confirmed, expressing dissatisfaction that the process was being slowed by “ignorance or stupidity”.

Fueling concerns that the war would spread again, Israel’s military announced early this morning that it had shot down an “aerial suspected target from Yemen” – a drone – before 24 hours had elapsed since the Houthi announcement, who control much of that country, that they had attacked Israel and that they were declaring a ban on navigation for vessels linked to it in the Red Sea, another strategic maritime artery.

Oil prices rise

With this backdrop, oil prices were up in the early hours of today, though not by much, despite the suspension of hostilities as the Seaway of Hormuz remains effectively closed. The price of a barrel of North Sea Brent, a benchmark variety in international markets, rose 1.25 percent to $94.25, that of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), a U.S. equivalent, rose 0.84 percent to $91.30.