US-Qatar Mediated Ceasefire between Israel and Iran seemed to face its first real test when Israel said that Tehran had launched missile attacks just hours after the truce started. But Iranian media, citing state TV, quickly denied any such attack, which made the already fragile peace even less stable.
Iran Rejects Israeli Missile Strike Allegations
Iran’s state media said that claims that the country fired missiles at Israel after the ceasefire were “completely false.” Israel’s military had just said that it had detected multiple launches from Iranian territory, so the denial came soon after. Israel Katz, the minister of defence for Israel, said that any breach of the ceasefire would lead to a strong military response.
Israeli Public Ordered to Shelters Amid Tensions
In response to the reports of the launches, Israel turned on its defences to stop the threats. In some parts of Israel, sirens went off, and people were told to stay inside until further notice. The Israeli military told the people that air defence systems were up and running and working to stop any possible threats.
US-Qatar Mediated Ceasefire Reached After 12 Days of War
Tensions have been rising since U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran had been reached through mediation by the US and Qatar. “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT,” Trump wrote in all capital letters on his Truth Social platform to start the news. DO NOT BREAK IT, PLEASE!”
Trump said that the ceasefire was meant to be phased in. The military operations in Iran were to end at 4:00 GMT on Tuesday. Israel would do the same 12 hours later. The peaceful end to the 12-day war meant that both sides had suffered a lot of deaths and damage.
After the ceasefire agreement, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that the country had reached all of its military goals during Operation “Rising Lion,” as the government called it.
The government of Israel said in a statement, “Israel has removed an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic.” In addition, it thanked U.S. President Trump and the American government for helping to stop Iran’s nuclear threat. On the other hand, Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond strongly to any breach of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised Iran’s armed forces for their efforts during the conflict. Posting on X, Araghchi wrote, “The operations of our powerful armed forces to punish Israel continued until the very last minute, at 4am.” He applauded the military’s readiness to defend the country “until their last drop of blood.”
Although both nations have publicly committed to the US-Qatar Mediated Ceasefire, lingering distrust remains. With both militaries on high alert and political tensions still simmering, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.
