Two pilots survived after their Apache helicopter was downed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, June 8. The United States responded immediately with strikes against Iranian air defenses, radar sites, and ports in the region, including Qeshm Island.
This incident shattered a ceasefire that had begun in April between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The original conflict started on February 28 when U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. By June 7 and 8, the war had lasted 100 days, and tensions were rising again.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched drones and missiles at American bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Iran also fired ballistic missiles directly at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire. Israel responded with strikes inside Iran.
On the same day, Yemen's Houthis announced a complete ban on Israeli ships in the Red Sea. This threatened one of the last major shipping routes, as the Strait of Hormuz was already nearly closed.
Meanwhile, fighting continued in Lebanon. Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs and the city of Tyre, killing multiple people. Lebanon's death toll has reached approximately 3,500 to 3,666 people since the war expanded there in March.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed a peace agreement with Iran could be signed within days. However, Iran warned it would resume attacks if Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued. The war remained suspended between two competing narratives: one of imminent peace, and another of escalating conflict.