Iranian security forces have killed five people accused of being members of Sunni militants groups, the semi-official Fars news agency has reported.

The alleged militants belonged to four operationsl cells in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

Another 19 people were before they could carry out attacks, the agency cited Iran's Intelligence Ministry as saying.

The Middle East is suddenly bracing for war again. Iran fired missiles at Israel late Sunday in the first such bombardment in the two months since a ceasefire. What happened?

The truce in the Iran war that was reached in April has not spread to Lebanon, where Israel has been battling Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants. Israel says it is defending its northern communities that face Hezbollah drone and rocket fire.

Iran sees Israel’s ground invasion, with thousands of troops, and airstrikes in Lebanon as a ceasefire violation. It insists that any deal with the United States must end the fighting there. Israel disagrees.

Here’s a timeline of key events:

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Monday, an Israeli official told Reuters.

The call took place before Trump posted on social media that Israel and Iran were seeking an immediate ceasefire, the official added.

We’re working to bring you more information on the phone call.

Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 air strikes on Lebanon and hundreds of controlled explosions since the US announced a ceasefire for the country on April 16, Lebanon's prime minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday.

The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect just after midnight on April 17, with Israeli troops still positioned deep inside southern Lebanon.

While it has largely halted air strikes on Beirut and its suburbs, it has failed to halt fighting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

In comments published by his office on X after a cabinet meeting, Salam said that from April 17 to June 7, Israel had carried out 3,491 air strikes, 407 controlled demolitions and six "razing" operations, or demolitions - which have left some entire villages in the southernmost strip of Lebanon entirely flattened.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran has announced the end of its military operations against Israel - for now.

The unified command of armed forces warned of harsher attacks if Israel continues strikes on Lebanon.

“A halt to military operations by the armed forces is hereby announced. If the aggression and hostile actions continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow,” the armed forces said in a statement.

It comes after US president Donald Trump urged Iran and Israel to “stop shooting” following a resumption of hostilities in the last 24 hours.

The EU has imposed sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities for threatening the freedom of maritime traffic, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.

Kallas made the remarks to reporters at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Cyprus, without providing any further details.

Iranian blockade has prevented the free movement of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched a war on the country in late February.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

Donald Trump said he was going to jump straight on a call to “Bibi” to tell him not to respond to Iran’s strikes on Israel. Within hours, Benjamin Netanyahu had defied the US president – and targeted several sites across Iran.

This apparent act of defiance came after the US president had insisted that it was he, and not Netanyahu, who “called the shots”.

Like the “brothers in arms” the Israeli leader and the US president like to think they are, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu appear to bicker like siblings.

This is an appearance. Not reality. The relationship between the two leaders has been closer to that of an agent and his handler. It has always been “Bibi” who’s done the handling, and it is always The Don who has been handled. This has delivered unimagined benefits to Netanyahu, who, with the help of Trump acting against the advice of his own band of court loyalists, has reduced the US to a protector of Israel.

Trump has yet to respond to Netanyahu seemingly doing whatever he pleases, but it has not been a good few weeks for the pair.

We’ve just heard more from Donald Trump, who claims Iran and Israel is looking to establish an “immediate ceasefire”.

“Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE!” the US president wrote on Truth Social, in an early morning post at 6:34 ET (11:34 BST).

“Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a “Final Deal” is reached. Things should move quickly. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

President Donald Trump denied that he has broken his campaign promises by entering a war with Iran and vowed that the conflict would not be “endless” during a contentious interview this weekend.

Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a pre-taped interview on Meet the Press that the war with Iran would soon come to an end, repeating an assertion that he and members of his Cabinet have made for months as the war has stubbornly dragged on without an end in sight. In his latest remarks, the president characterized the holdup as a dispute over language surrounding Iran’s future ability to acquire or purchase nuclear materials.

The president claimed that he made a distinction during his campaign for president in 2024 between “wars” and “endless” conflicts, adding that it wasn’t worth building up America’s military to never use it.

“First of all, I didn't guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” he asked.

Read the full report: