Tehran – Gaza: Europe and the Arabs

The Israeli army launched attacks on military targets in Iran overnight Sunday into Monday, according to the army itself. Explosions were heard in the capital, Tehran, according to Iranian state television.

According to the Israeli army, the attacks occurred in the west and center of the country. Al Jazeera reported that explosions were heard in Tehran, the northwestern city of Tabriz, the central city of Isfahan, and other areas. European media outlets, including the Belgian newspaper Newsblad, covered the attacks, adding that they followed an earlier Iranian missile attack on Israel on Sunday, the first of its kind in two months. According to Tehran, this attack was in response to the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has intensified its fighting against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in recent weeks. The Lebanese capital, Beirut, was also subjected to renewed shelling during this conflict.

Following the Iranian missile attack, US President Donald Trump announced that he would ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch retaliatory attacks on Iran. It remains unclear whether this phone call actually took place. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard targeted "terrorist groups" in Iraqi Kurdistan.

On Monday morning, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it had targeted "terrorist groups" in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

IRNA reported via Telegram that the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran attacked "the headquarters of terrorist groups in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq," without providing further details, including the identity of the targeted groups.

The autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq hosts camps and bases for Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups, which Tehran classifies as terrorist organizations and accuses of serving American or Israeli interests.

Oil prices surge after Iranian attack on Israel.

Oil prices rose by more than 3% on Monday following the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. This surge came after Iranian missile attacks on Israel.

The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose by 3.29% in early trading on Monday, reaching $96.15 a barrel. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, also rose. West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 3.25% to $93.48 a barrel. This market increase reflected heightened tensions in the Middle East following the weekend.

Iran launched missiles at Israel, apparently in retaliation for Israel's earlier bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs. The Iranian attack was the first since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April.

Trump says Netanyahu will have "no choice" and must accept the Iran nuclear deal. US President Donald Trump told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any agreement the US negotiates with Iran because Trump is the one who makes the decisions. Trump was quoted as saying, "He will have absolutely no choice."

Israel closes Gaza border crossings after Iranian attacks. Israeli authorities closed all border crossings into the Gaza Strip on Sunday following Iranian attacks on Israel. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the government body responsible for border crossings between Israel and the Palestinian territories, announced the closures Sunday evening and Monday morning.

According to COGAT, the decision is part of a series of "security measures," without providing further details. Among the crossings closed are the Rafah crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing. Authorities emphasized that the decision will not affect the already dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. For the residents of Gaza, which has been largely devastated by Israel, the Rafah border crossing is the only gateway to the outside world and is therefore crucial for the supply of food, medicine, and other necessities. Palestinians requiring medical care can also be transferred to Egyptian hospitals via Rafah.

Israel seized control of the border crossing approximately two years ago and kept it closed for extended periods, drawing widespread international criticism. The crossing has been partially reopened since March.