U.S. President Donald Trump says a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is in effect.
The truce was scheduled to take effect Tuesday. But a little after midnight, explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel. Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace.
The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, its state media reported. However, an Israeli military official said country defense systems intercepted two Iranian missiles.
President Trump told reporters before departing for a Netherlands NATO summit that both sides were at fault. Iran “violated it, but Israel violated it too,” the President said. He suggested Iran may have fired on the country by mistake.
Soon after his departure, the President announced that the deal was saved.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” President Trump wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says he held off on tougher strikes on Iran after speaking to President Trump.
The conflict started 12 days ago. It began with Israel’s targeting of Iranian nuclear and military sites. Israel said it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons. Iran has long maintained that its program is peaceful.
Before the ceasefire was announced, Israel’s military said Iran launched 20 missiles toward Israel. Police say they damaged at least three residential buildings in the city of Beersheba. First responders retrieved four bodies from one building and were searching for more. At least 20 people were injured.
The United States evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military, and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official says. Roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, are believed to be in Israel.
Many observers were concerned that the war might widen after the United States joined the attacks by dropping bunker-buster bombs over the weekend. Tehran retaliated with a limited strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday. Iran warned the United States in advance, and there were no casualties. After that, President Trump announced the ceasefire.
Netanyahu says Israel agreed to a two-sided ceasefire with Iran, in coordination with President Trump. The Israeli leader says that came after the country achieved all of its war goals. Those included removing the threat of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
It’s unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. — Matthew 24:7
