New Delhi: The Israel-Iran conflict continues to escalate, with Israel vowing retaliation to Iran’s violations of the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, hours after it came into effect.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that he has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire with intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran”.
Air raid sirens blared across northern Israel just hours after the ceasefire took effect, as Israeli authorities reported detecting missile launches from Iran, AP reported. “Tehran will tremble,” declared Israel’s hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a post on X, shortly after the attack.
The ceasefire had come into effect Tuesday after both countries launched an onslaught of missiles and airstrikes before dawn. In its statement accepting the ceasefire, the Israeli government had said that it had removed a “double existential threat”, and had “achieved complete air superiority over Tehran”. Israel had also credited Trump with brokering the bilateral ceasefire agreement.
“In light of having achieved the objectives of the operation, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel agrees to the President’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Tuesday morning. “We thank the United States for its defensive support and for participating in removing the Iranian nuclear threat.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had initially publicly refuted the ceasefire claim.
As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around.
As of now, there is NO "agreement" on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 24, 2025
However, in a separate post on X later, he acknowledged that Iranian military operations against Israel were ongoing until at least 4.00 am (Tehran time).
“The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4 am. Together with all Iranians, I thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood, and who responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute,” he wrote.
Trump had announced the ceasefire on Truth Social with characteristic flourish: “Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, ‘PEACE!’ I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS!”
His naming the conflict “The 12 Day War” was a reference to the “Six Day War” of 1967, when Israel had battled a coalition of Arab nations, including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
He later added, “In a certain and very ironic way, that perfect ‘hit,’ late in the evening, brought everyone together, and the deal was made!!!”
“The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it. Only the Fake News would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible — And even they say they were ‘pretty well destroyed!’,” he wrote in a separate post.
Under the terms of the said agreement, Iran was expected to begin observing a ceasefire immediately, followed by Israel 12 hours later. The war would be considered officially over after 24 hours, if both sides maintained peace.
The conflict began on 13 June, when Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear sites, citing intelligence that Iran was preparing to build nuclear weapons. Iran then retaliated with missile and drone strikes, prompting a cycle of escalation that raised fears of a broader regional war.
A few hours before Trump announced a ceasefire deal on social media, Iran had launched missile strikes late Monday on the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, which houses the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The attack was described by Tehran as a measured retaliation for the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan early Sunday.
Trump later posted on Truth Social that Iran had given Washington advance notice of its intention to target the Al-Udeid base.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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