Middle East crisis live: Iran and Israel announce halt to hostilities as Trump claims both sides want ‘immediate ceasefire’

June 8, 2026

It is approaching 8pm in Tel Aviv and Beirut, and 9pm in Tehran. Here is a summary of the key events so far today:

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he has halted strikes on Iran after similar remarks earlier from Iranian leadership.
The pause in strikes came after US president Donald Trump told Iran and Israel to stop “shooting” after the two sides attacked each other’s territory for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April.
Iran launched waves of attacks on Israel on Monday in response to Israeli attacks on southern Beirut, while Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran. Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital of Tehran – there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Netanyahu is set to convene a full security cabinet tonight at 9pm. Despite pausing the strikes, he vowed to respond with “full force” if Israel is struck again.
The Israeli defense ministry’s coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT) said that it will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing back into Gaza to “gradually” allow in aid from Tuesday. It closed all crossings into Gaza and halted aid on Sunday as a response to Iran’s attacks. This move was criticised by humanitarian charities.
A senior Hezbollah official said that the group has not had any “direct contact” with the US president, despite Trump suggesting otherwise. The official said Trump was “perhaps” referring to the fact that parliament speaker Nabih Berri’s adviser “communicates with the US ambassador and passes on messages”.
Lebanon’s defence minister has said that Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 airstrikes on Lebanon and hundreds of controlled explosions since the US announced a ceasefire for the country in mid April.