Iran and Israel halt attacks after latest exchange of fire

Iran and Israel have said they have halted attacks on each other after exchanging fire for the first time since a truce agreed in April.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel was holding fire "at the moment", but stressed that the conflict with Iran and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon was "not finished".

Earlier, Iran's military said it had ceased operations after delivering what it described as a "painful response" to Israel. Tehran warned that any further Israeli strikes, including attacks in Lebanon, would be met with "more severe and crushing measures".

Separately, US President Donald Trump said the crew of a US Army helicopter were safe after reports emerged that an Apache helicopter had crashed in the Strait of Hormuz.

The New York Times reported the helicopter had gone down under unclear circumstances, but that the crew had been rescued unharmed.

Trump did not provide details on the cause of the incident but said there had been "nobody injured" and that the White House would release further information later.

The latest escalation began when Iran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut.

Israel responded in the early hours of Monday by targeting what it described as military sites inside Iran.

Speaking to the BBC, Trump rejected suggestions that Netanyahu had ignored his wishes by authorising the strikes.

"No, no. They had already gone. They had already gone. They were already on their way," Trump said.

The White House confirmed that Trump had spoken to Netanyahu by telephone to discuss the crisis. An Israeli official said Israel had suspended its strikes at the US president's request.

Asked how he had convinced Netanyahu to halt further attacks on Iran, Trump said: "All I did is say, 'We have to use sense'. We're very close to signing a very powerful deal, a very good deal.

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

The president later told Axios that he had warned Netanyahu he risked standing alone if Israel resumed hostilities with Iran.

"I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Trump was quoted as saying.

In a 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".