WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM/NICOSIA/BAGHDAD - US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if Israel resumed its war with Iran, it could find itself fighting alone.

In a phone interview with US online media Axios, Trump claimed that Israel "gave us very late notice" about Sunday's strikes.

"They were already on their way. But eventually I had (the Israeli strike) limited," Trump said.

Trump called Netanyahu on Sunday evening and asked him not to retaliate, the report said, citing a US official.

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During the call, Trump argued that either he would get a deal with Iran in a few days that would make the strikes unnecessary, or he wouldn't -- in which case he might lead the strikes on Iran, an Israeli source briefed on the call was quoted.

Later on Monday, Netanyahu informed the White House that Israel would proceed with the strike "whenever necessary."

Iran and Israel on Monday signaled a halt to their strikes against each other after a series of mutual attacks from Sunday night, which marked the most serious escalation since the ceasefire in April. 

Netanyahu: Israel halting Iran strikes

Netanyahu said Monday that the fire against Iran is currently "on hold," but warned that Israel will respond forcefully if Iran resumes its attacks.

"At the moment, the fire is on hold because after we struck ... it (Iran) stopped attacking us," Netanyahu said in his first televised statement more than 20 hours after Iran first launched missiles at Israel on Sunday night.

If Iran "makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force," he added.

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would continue to carry out attacks against Hezbollah and would strike the Dahieh district, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, in response to any attack on communities in northern Israel.

Following Netanyahu's statement, Israel's Home Front Command said it will lift most civil defense restrictions across the country on Tuesday morning, while restrictions will remain in place in several northern communities near the Lebanese border.

Later on Monday, Israeli ministries announced in statements that Israel's hospitals have returned to full and normal operations on Monday, while schools are expected to reopen on Tuesday after Israel and Iran halted the exchange of strikes.

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Earlier in the day, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced in a statement the cessation of strikes against Israel, but warned that any further Israeli "aggression and malicious acts," including in southern Lebanon, would trigger a much more "severe and crushing" response from Tehran.

It said the Iranian armed forces' actions were carried out in support of the Lebanese people following Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and the Dahieh district. It also accused the United States of backing Israeli operations and said that Israel should have learned its lesson from Iran's response.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said that at least 15 people were wounded in Israeli attacks against Iran on Monday, with no death reported yet.

Following flight restrictions imposed earlier in the day on Iran's airspace, the country's Civil Aviation Authority said aviation operations are returning to normal, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Meanwhile, COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing aid coordination, said the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip will gradually reopen for the entry of humanitarian aid starting Tuesday after being closed on Sunday due to Iranian attacks on northern Israel.

The latest escalation came after the Israeli military conducted airstrikes in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday, killing at least two people.

Following the Israeli operations, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced late Sunday that it launched ballistic missiles at the Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel in response to Israel's "widespread crimes" in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military on Monday carried out airstrikes on several targets in Iran, including radar sites and a petrochemical company in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. In response, the IRGC launched strikes on the Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases as well as certain industries in Israel.

Pezeshkian: Iran committed to defense, diplomacy

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday underscored Tehran's commitment to both defense and diplomacy, saying his country has abandoned neither the battlefield nor the negotiating table.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a social media post following Iran's announcement of ceasing operations against Israel after the two countries traded airstrikes in the first major escalation since a ceasefire was reached in April.

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"Our priority is national security and the people's peace. We defend the nation's rights with power and will not retreat in the face of any threat," Pezeshkian said, noting that "diplomacy and defense are two wings of national power. 

EU approves sanctions

Also on Monday, the European Union (EU) approved sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities over allegations of disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Kallas made the announcement at a press conference following an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Cyprus.

She said freedom of navigation is facing increasing pressure globally, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian actions and drone activity have allegedly posed risks to commercial shipping. EU ministers considered such actions unacceptable, she added.

According to Kallas, the decision marks the first time the EU has activated its new sanctions regime aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation. She said the bloc would not hesitate to use the mechanism again if necessary.

Iraq reopens airspace

In Baghdad, Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority announced on Monday the reopening of the country's airspace to flights arriving at and departing from all Iraqi airports, as well as the resumption of air traffic operations.

In a statement, the authority said flight operations would resume in accordance with the approved operational procedures.

Iraq on Sunday announced a 72-hour airspace closure as a precautionary measure following Iran's launch of multiple waves of missiles toward Israel, which prompted the latter to respond with airstrikes across Iran.