Fragile Ceasefire Between Iran and Israel After 12 Days of War
A fragile ceasefire took effect on Tuesday between Iran and Israel after 12 days of conflict, which included U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear facilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire was now in effect, while accusing both nations, particularly Israel, of violating it and urging his ally not to drop more bombs on Iran.
Both countries have warned they would retaliate against any breach of the truce. However, in Israel, no alerts were reported since 7:45 AM GMT, and in Iran, the military last reported Israeli attacks at 5:30 AM GMT.
Israel had announced on Tuesday morning that it had accepted the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire, asserting that all objectives of the war, initiated to neutralize Iran's nuclear program, had been achieved.
Tehran, proclaiming "victory," claimed it forced its enemy to "unilaterally" cease hostilities and warned that Iran remains "on alert."
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, asserted they dealt a "lesson" to Israel.
Israel launched a massive airstrike on Iran on June 13, accusing it of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran, which denies this and defends its right to develop a civilian nuclear program, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
On Tuesday morning, sirens once again sounded in northern Israel. Tehran denied firing missiles after the ceasefire announcement, while an Israeli military source reported that two missiles were fired from Iran and intercepted.
Israel will "respond forcefully to Iran's violation of the ceasefire," warned Defense Minister Israel Katz, who added he instructed the military to conduct "powerful strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran."
Late at night, Donald Trump announced that both countries had agreed to a "complete and total" ceasefire that was to lead to the "official end" of the conflict.
Qatar claimed to have "persuaded Iran" to accept the ceasefire and urged Washington and Tehran to resume their nuclear talks, which were interrupted by the war.
Calls for respect of the truce have multiplied worldwide. Several foreign leaders, along with the Israeli opposition, have also called for an end to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
"Everyone is tired."
Before the ceasefire announcement, two salvos of Iranian missiles were fired toward Israel on Tuesday morning, according to Iranian state media Irib. Israeli rescue services reported four fatalities, particularly in Beersheba, where an apartment building was destroyed.
Tammy Shel, a Tel Aviv resident, expressed her hopes for a ceasefire. "I really hope for it. Everyone is tired. We just want peace of mind—for ourselves, for the Iranians, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region," she told AFP.
In Iran, a strike in Gilan province in the north resulted in nine deaths and destroyed four residential buildings, according to the Fars agency, also before Trump announced the ceasefire.
An individual linked to the nuclear program was also killed in an Israeli strike, according to state media.
That night, a series of explosions shook Tehran, according to AFP journalists, among the most intense in the capital since the war began.
In Iran, the war has resulted in at least 610 deaths and over 4,700 injuries, according to an official toll that only includes civilian casualties. Iranian strikes on Israel have resulted in 28 deaths, according to authorities.
Since June 13, Israel has bombed hundreds of Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing top military officials and nuclear scientists in the process.
"Calibrated" retaliations.
Donald Trump called on Monday for both countries to seek "peace," after Iran launched missiles at the U.S. military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar, the largest in the Middle East, in retaliation for American airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites the day before.
He described this response as "very weak" and thanked Iran for "warning" the United States "in time, preventing loss of life and injury."
The Iranian National Security Council characterized its attack as a "response to the aggressive action" by the United States, adding that Iran used as many missiles "as bombs" used in the American airstrikes.
Donald Trump had boasted on Sunday about inflicting "monumental damage" to Iran's three main nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Ali Vaez from the International Crisis Group think tank remarked that the Iranian retaliations were "calibrated and announced in a manner to avoid American casualties, allowing both parties a way out of the crisis."
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has deemed it impossible at this stage to assess the damage inflicted on Iranian sites, to which it has requested access.
Experts believe Iran may have evacuated nuclear material from the affected sites, and Tehran has claimed to still possess stocks of enriched uranium.
However, the IAEA has stated it has not yet detected any indication of a "systematic" program to manufacture an atomic bomb.
© Agence France-Presse
