Critical Hours for Trump-Brokered Ceasefire
A US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect Tuesday, following nearly two weeks of intense fighting that included missile strikes, aerial bombardments, and threats of wider regional war. President Donald Trump announced the development on his Truth Social platform, writing: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”
Iranian state television also confirmed the truce, though Israeli leadership did not issue an immediate statement. A senior Israeli official told the Walla news site, “If all sides uphold it, it will hold.” Hours later, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office publicly affirmed the ceasefire, claiming the military campaign—Operation Rising Lion—had accomplished its core objectives.
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“Israel has removed a dual immediate existential threat—both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields,” the statement read. It also said Israeli forces had destroyed dozens of Iranian military and government sites and assassinated another senior nuclear scientist.
The ceasefire agreement followed heavy US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including sites at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Tehran responded with missile attacks on US bases in Qatar and Iraq, and launched salvos on Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Just before the truce began, Iran fired a ballistic missile that hit a residential building in Beersheba, killing four people and wounding at least 20. “We saw massive destruction,” said Dvir Ben Ze’ev, a paramedic with Magen David Adom. “There was nothing we could do for some of the victims.”
Israeli officials warned they would “respond forcefully” to any violation of the ceasefire.
