Live Updates: Israel, Iran halt strikes as Washington-Tehran talks continue

Israel and Iran appeared to step back from further escalation on Monday, with both sides signaling a halt to strikes after the most serious fighting since an April ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the exchange of fire with Iran is “currently contained,” but warned that if Iran attacks Israel again, Israel will respond forcefully. The New York Times reported that Netanyahu agreed to halt strikes on Iran after a phone call with President Donald Trump.

Iran also appeared willing to de-escalate, announcing Monday that its military operations against Israel had concluded. However, the military warned of a "much more severe" response if Israeli attacks on Iran and Lebanon continue.

On Sunday, Iran launched missiles at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, prompting Israeli airstrikes overnight on targets in Tehran as well as western and central Iran.

The hostilities over the past day strained ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran. Speaking to Al-Monitor’s Elizabeth Hagedorn on Monday on condition of anonymity, a senior Iranian official said Monday that communications with the United States are “very limited but still on,” with messages exchanged primarily through mediators.

Lebanese authorities, however, maintain that US-Iran talks are separate from Lebanon's ongoing US-mediated negotiations with Israel. The two sides reached a conditional ceasefire last week after a fourth round of political talks in Washington.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told CNN on Monday that his government was pursuing a "non-aggression pact" with Israel and that he would not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until such an agreement is reached.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes continued in southern Lebanon, where at least four people were reported killed on Monday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that the death toll from Israeli strikes on the country since March 2 had risen to 3,637 on Monday.

On Monday afternoon, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Israeli forces and military vehicles in the southern Lebanese town of Rashaf.