Iran and Israel say they have halted attacks on each other, after the two countries exchanged fire for the first time since April’s truce.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his country was holding fire “at the moment”. But he stressed that the struggle against Iran and Hezbollah was “not finished”.

It came hours after Iran’s armed forces said it had stopped operations following the delivery of a “painful response” to Israel.

It promised “more severe and crushing measures” if Israel carried out more strikes, including in Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Tehran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for a strike on Beirut.

Israel responded in the early hours of Monday morning by targeting what it said were military sites in the Islamic Republic.

In a call with the BBC, US President Donald Trump denied that Netanyahu had defied his wishes by launching strikes.

“No, no. They had already gone. They had already gone. They were already on their way,” he said.

The White House confirmed that Trump had called Netanyahu to discuss the crisis. An Israeli official said Israel had halted its strikes at his request.

Asked how he had persuaded Netanyahu to stop attacking Iran, Trump responded: “All I did is say, ‘We have to use sense’. We’re very close to signing a very powerful deal, a very good deal.

“No nuclear weapons, no nothing. You know, we have to use a lot of common sense. It was fine.”

Trump also said of Netanyahu: “If I tell him to do something, he does it.”

The president told US news outlet Axios he had told Israel’s prime minister he might find himself fighting alone if he went back to war with Iran.

“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'” Axios quoted him as saying.

In his televised statement on Monday, Netanyahu said he had told Trump that “Israel has a full right to self-defence, and we are exercising it as required”.

The hostilities spread quickly across the Middle East, as Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US military facilities. Iran also effectively blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, causing a surge in the price of oil.

Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for Khamenei’s assassination. Israel responded with air strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion of a significant part of the country’s south.

A US-brokered ceasefire deal between the Israeli and Lebanese governments has failed to end hostilities. Hezbollah has rejected the agreement, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal.

In recent weeks, the US has been pressing Israel to scale back its campaign to allow room for a wider deal with Iran, which has demanded that it also cover the conflict in Lebanon.

According to the US news outlet Axios, the Israeli strikes were carried out despite Prime Minster Netanyahu being told not to retaliate by President Trump, who was already angry that his warnings not to attack Beirut had been ignored.

Earlier, he reportedly told the Financial Times that the Israeli prime minister would have to accept any deal that the US secures with Iran because he “won’t have any choice”. “I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots,” he was quoted as saying.

The Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, wrote on X: “No self-respecting country in the world would tolerate such an attack, and neither will Israel.”

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in a Telegram post on Monday evening that “ceasefire violations and naval blockades” – in reference to the US’s blockade of Iranian ports – had “been the cause of recent tensions”.

He added that: “We are not going to fight or negotiate, but we are going to fight on our own time and negotiate on our own time.”

At least 3,468 people have been killed in Iran during the war, according to the country’s Martyrs Foundation. Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has put the death toll from US and Israeli attacks at 3,636, including 1,701 civilians.

Another 3,613 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the country’s health ministry says. Its figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

Israeli authorities say 20 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks in Israel, while four Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank. Thirty Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border during the fighting with Hezbollah.

Another 29 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to local authorities.

Thirteen US service members have been killed, seven of them in Iranian attacks in the Gulf.

[BBC]

In the end, the Afghanistan batters did not die wondering. Their lower order swung away, time and again. Their patience was worn down in the sweltering New Chandigarh heat and India sealed a win by an innings and 300 runs, their biggest in Test cricket.

Afghanistan were up against it right away on the morning of day three of this one-off Test, only their second against India in the format. Debutant Manay Suthar resumed overnight on a three-for, and bowled with turn and guile on a pitch that had flattened out for everyone else. He ended with figures of 6 for 33 – the third best figures for an Indian bowler on a Test debut – and bundled out Afghanistan for 152.

India enforced the follow on. In their second effort, trailing by 412 runs, Afghanistan pushed Suthar back from his attacking lines by stepping down the pitch to him. Sediqullah Atal, who scored 42, led the charge by smashing him for a six and a four right before tea. In many ways, however, Suthar had already won the match for India by then.

For the second game running in Kingston, persistent rain forced an ODI between West Indies and Sri Lanka to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. This one – the third and final ODI in this series at Sabina Park – meant Sri Lanka secured the trophy with a 1-0 margin, courtesy the 41-run victory they enjoyed in the series opener.

The umpires had several inspections, but after discussing with curators they decided that getting play started by the cut off of 8.02pm for a 20-over-shootout was almost impossible.

While the mood around both camps might be damp, both literally and metaphorically following two straight washouts, the outcome is still a landmark one for the visiting Lions. It is their first ODI-series victory in the Caribbean in 23 years – the last coming in 2003. A positive start for their newly appointed head coach Gary Kirsten and their new ODI captain Kusal Mendis, although they would’ve liked to have seen more in-game action from the players.

“Very happy to win the series, we did really well in that one game – in all three departments,” Mendis said. “There are not a lot of matches ahead of next year’s World Cup, happy with my first series victory as captain. Got support of the staff too.” He also praised the bowling unit.

For West Indies, the weather and the subsequent series result is undoubtedly a frustrating blow. Denied a chance to avenge their opening game defeat, it’s not only a first series loss at home in three years but, more critically, it’s a result that hinders their pursuit of vital ICC ranking points required for automatic, direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

West Indies, for now, remain in tenth place in the ODI rankings, just outside of the top eight qualifying spots. They have ODI series campaigns against New Zealand (World No. 2) and India (No. 1) coming up next.

“You can’t control mother nature,” Shai Hope said. “Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan team for the way they played in the first game. [T20I series next] We need to look ahead, understand conditions. Adaptability will be key in Jamaica. We’ve got some experience, hope to bounce back there.”

Both sides will rapidly shift focus to the shortest format as a three-match T20I series is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, June 11, with subsequent matches on June 13 and June 14.

However, the teams will not be changing hotels just yet; all three T20Is are slated to take place at the exact same venue in Kingston. With rain expected to be a presence across Jamaica over the coming week, ground staff will have their work cut out for them to ensure the upcoming matches escape a similar watery fate. Those matches will all start at 7.30pm local time.

[Cricinfo]