U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that Israel-Iran ceasefire agreement has indeed taken effect.
He also warned both countries in a stern message to respect the deal, after a series of Iranian missile strikes against Israeli soil within the last hours before the truce came into effect.
"THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
The US president had previously suggested a complete halt to hostilities to put an end to the 12-day war. The ceasefire was planned as a step-by-step process, starting at 0400 GMT on Tuesday with Iran ceasing its military operations first. Israel was supposed to respect the truce 12 hours after that.
Iran's official media confirmed the ceasefire went into effect after five successive waves of missile attacks into Israeli-held territory. The attack killed at least seven people in southern Israel, according to reports. But moments before the ceasefire went into effect, the semi-official SNN news agency said that Tehran had fired a final salvo of missiles.
With diminished missile fire, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that it was safe for the public to exit bomb shelters.
"After situational evaluation, the Home Front Command has made an announcement that the need to stay close to sheltered areas across the country has been removed," the military stated in a formal release.
Trump's Ceasefire Initiative
Trump's ceasefire announcement came shortly after Iran struck a U.S. military base in Qatar, one he characterized as a "weak" response to weekend American airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
A senior White House official said Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finalized the ceasefire deal in a telephone conversation. Israel agreed to the terms upon one condition, the official said: that Iran halt further attacks.
Tehran also accepted that it had embraced the ceasefire offer. Nevertheless, Iran's foreign minister reiterated that the nation would no longer maintain the truce if Israel resumed armed attacks.
The escalation of fighting started on June 13, when Israel launched a wide-ranging military campaign against Iran. Since that time, both sides have exchanged heavy fire, including heavy aerial bombardments. This past weekend, the United States entered the fray with the coordinated attacks on strategic Iranian nuclear sites.
While Israel has accused Tehran of developing its nuclear weapons program, Iran has continually denied such accusations. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated the same, saying that the Islamic Republic possesses no nuclear weapons program, but issued the warning: "If we wanted to, world leaders wouldn't be able to stop us."
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