\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Dubai, United Arab Emirates to U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a \u201ccomplete and total ceasefire\u201d soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative after an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal.<\/p>\n
Iran retaliates with attack on US airbase in Qatar<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Iranian barrages sent Israelis hurrying into bomb shelters as the sun rose, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, Israel\u2019s Magen David Adom rescue services said. Israel has yet to acknowledge Trump\u2019s proposal, which gives Israel more time to potentially strike back though Iran on its state television announced an overall ceasefire had begun at 7:30 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n In Beersheba, first responder said they retrieved four bodies from one building and were searching for more. The streets around the impact site were littered with glass and debris, windows were blown out of buildings as anxious neighbors stood outside their damaged houses. Three people were rescued from nearby buildings.<\/p>\n The direct hit in the largest city in southern Israel came just days after the city\u2019s hospital sustained significant damage in a missile strike.<\/p>\n The Israeli military said people could leave bomb shelters but cautioned the public to stay close to shelter for the coming hours.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement that Israel and Iran had agreed to a \u201ccomplete and total ceasefire\u201d came soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base\u00a0in Qatar, retaliating for the\u00a0American bombing of its nuclear sites. Israel has not acknowledged the Trump ceasefire announcement.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire beginning about midnight Washington time would bring an \u201cOfficial END\u201d to the war.<\/p>\n Writing over an hour after the first phase of the tentative ceasefire, which called for Iran to halt its attacks, Trump added: \u201cTHE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!\u201d<\/p>\n Israel doesn\u2019t confirm ceasefire but appears to pause<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. Israel in other conflicts has stepped up its strikes just before ceasefires took effect.<\/p>\n \u201cAs of now, there is NO \u2018agreement\u2019 on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,\u201d Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. \u201cHowever, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump\u2019s ceasefire statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n Trump describes conflict as \u201912 Day War\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Trump gave the conflict between Israel and Iran a name: the \u201c12 Day War.\u201d That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the \u201cSix Day War,\u201d in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s reference carries emotional weight for the Arab world, particularly Palestinians. In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Though Israel later gave the Sinai back to Egypt, it still holds the other territories.<\/p>\n Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire, according to a senior White House official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels.<\/p>\n The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran\u2019s leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender.<\/p>\n Israel and Iran trade attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Israel and Iran traded barrages early Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n Iran struck Israel with missiles and drones while Israel said it attacked \u201cregime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.\u201d<\/p>\n In Tehran, Israel hit the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests and blew open a gate at Evin prison, which is known for holding political activists.<\/p>\n In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday\u2019s U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.<\/p>\n Trump floats regime change<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran\u2019s government, their archenemy since the country\u2019s 1979 Islamic Revolution.<\/p>\n But the latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump himself\u00a0mentioned the possibility of regime change\u00a0a day after inserting America into the war with its stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn\u2019t there be a Regime change???\u201d he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as \u201csimply raising a question.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Before the news of a ceasefire, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss high-level internal deliberations, said Israel aimed to wind down the war in the coming days, but that it would depend on the Iranians.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s preferred outcome is for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reenter negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program, the official said. But Israel is prepared for the possibility of an extended low-intensity war of attrition or period of \u201cquiet for quiet,\u201d in which it would closely monitor Iran\u2019s activities and strike if it identifies new threats.<\/p>\n