Why did Israel and Iran trade fire, and how does it affect wider peace efforts?

Israel and Iran have returned to active war for the first time since a ceasefire was agreed two months ago in an exchange of rocket fire that threatened efforts to end the conflict.

Donald Trump, who started the war in February alongside Israel but has since attempted to present himself as a mediator, told the two sides to stop shooting and said “final negotiations” on peace were proceeding. By late afternoon on Monday, the attacks had stopped.

Why did the regional arch-enemies start firing at each other again, and what has been happening with broader peace efforts?

How does Lebanon play into the US-Israel war on Iran?

Israel has repeatedly invaded and occupied Lebanon over the past decades, and there is an influential political movement in Israel calling for the permanent seizure of Lebanese territory.

Israel’s war on Lebanon has also been intensely destructive, leading to a humanitarian crisis that has shocked world governments.

More than a million people – a fifth of Lebanon’s population – have been displaced, and Israeli strikes have killed at least 3,613 people. Hezbollah has killed at least 30 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and three Israeli civilians.

Tehran insists Lebanon be included in a broader ceasefire deal, something Israel and the US have rejected. Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he was not demanding that Lebanon be part of any peace deal with Iran.

Is there a separate ceasefire in Lebanon?

Sort of. The Lebanese and Israeli governments have been negotiating directly in Washington and have agreed to a ceasefire.

But the deal lacks teeth because it is Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army, that is launching attacks on Israel, and the group has rejected the US-brokered truce.

The Lebanese government has been trying to reassert control over parts of the country where Hezbollah is strong and to eventually disarm the group. Hezbollah says it needs its weapons to prevent Israeli aggression.