The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed that Iran fired the missiles, despite a ceasefire being announced by US President Donald Trump. The IDF said it has detected a new launch of ballistic missiles from Iran, and sirens sounded in northern Israel. This comes shortly after Israel said it had agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with Iran. The Israeli media reported that Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered intense strikes on the Iranian capital, Tehran, after accusing Iran of violating a truce brokered by the United States and Qatar. Meanwhile, the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has denied Israeli’s claim that it launched missiles over the past few hours. In a related development the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister has expressed his gratitude to Qatar for helping to prevent escalation in the region.
Earlier in the day, Israel had agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire with Iran. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that it had agreed to the ceasefire after achieving its goal of removing Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile threat. The statement also thanked the United States for its support and participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat. Netanyahu also said that Israel will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire. Trump had said that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in place and had asked both countries not to violate it.
