Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has ordered renewed military strikes on Tehran, accusing Iran of violating the ceasefire announced just hours earlier by US President Donald Trump.
In a statement on Tuesday, Katz said he had directed the Israeli military to “continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran” in light of what he described as “Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States.”
Iran, however, denied firing missiles in breach of the agreement. According to Nour News, affiliated with Iran’s top security bodies, the armed forces general staff said there had been “no launch of missiles towards Israel in recent hours.”
The developments cast immediate doubt over the fragile ceasefire, intended to halt 12 days of escalating warfare between the two regional powers.
Earlier, Trump had posted on his social media platform Truth Social, “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”
Following Trump’s announcement, both countries had confirmed the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had achieved its military objectives, stating, “Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defence and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had earlier said Iran would suspend retaliatory strikes so long as Israel also ceased attacks from 4:00 a.m. Tehran time.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the ceasefire reflected Israel’s forced acceptance of “defeat”, though it warned that Iranian forces would “keep their hands on the trigger” in readiness to respond to further aggression.
The ceasefire announcement had prompted a surge in global stock markets and a drop in oil prices, as hopes rose that the conflict might be winding down—until Tuesday’s new escalation.
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