After a wave of confusions about the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump in his social media, the Israeli government has confirmed reports that it agreed to a ceasefire proposal brokered by the US, after almost two weeks of direct military conflict with Iran.
An Israeli government statement said: "Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defence and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.
In light of achieving the objectives of the operation, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the president’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire.
The statement claimed that Israel achieved all of the Israel operation’s objectives, removing “dual immediate existential threat from itself – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields.” It warned that Israel would respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, The Israel Times newspaper reported that five people killed in this morning’s Iranian ballistic missile attack on Beersheba. The had been apparently sheltering in their bomb safe rooms when the projectile impacted.
Two missiles were fired at Beersheba in the salvo at 5:40 a.m., with one being intercepted and another striking the sixth floor of an apartment complex in the southern Israel city.
The missile directly hit two bomb safe rooms, completely destroying one of them, and killing four people inside them, according to the probe.
The bomb safe rooms are designed to sustain the shockwave of ballistic missiles as well as shrapnel — though not a direct strike from a large explosive warhead. It was the second instance of fatalities caused by a direct hit on a reinforced room during the war between Israel and Iran.
The missile attack took after the initial ceasefire deadline mentioned by Trump late Monday night (US time) that both sides had “fully agreed” to a “complete and total ceasefire,” expected to take effect within hours. However, conflicting statements from Tehran and continued military activity on the ground have cast serious doubts over the credibility and enforceability of the truce.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, denied that any formal ceasefire agreement was in place. In a statement, he said Iran would halt its attacks if Israel ceased its “illegal aggression” by 4am local time on Tuesday—but stopped short of confirming any deal. “There is no agreement. If Israel stops, we stop,” he said.
Israeli officials have not issued any official response to the ceasefire announcement. However, Iranian state media reported that Israel launched fresh attacks on Tehran until the 4am deadline, targeting both residential areas and critical infrastructure.
The Tehran Times, a state-linked Iranian newspaper, had dismissed Trump’s announcement as a “fabricated lie” aimed at pressuring Iran into a ceasefire under false pretences. The paper accused the US President of deliberately spreading misinformation to create internal dissent in Iran and to lure its leadership into letting down its guard.
“The US and Israel are lying. They want Iran to disarm so they can escalate tensions,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran’s parliamentary speaker. He noted that Trump had previously delayed decisions on military action while secretly supporting Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, including civilian areas.
According to Iranian sources, more than 400 people have been killed in Israel’s attacks, including at least 13 children, and over 3,000 others have been wounded. On the Israeli side, 24 deaths have been reported due to Iranian missile strikes.
In retaliation for the US-backed Israeli offensive, Iran launched missiles at the US-run Al Udeid airbase in Qatar late Monday, marking a significant escalation. However, US and Qatari defences had reportedly neutralised the threat without casualties.
The White House claims Qatar played a crucial role in mediating the ceasefire through backchannel diplomacy with Tehran. A senior US official told CNN that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire on the condition that Iran would end its attacks. Tehran, the official added, had accepted these terms in principle.
