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Winnipeg Free Press
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Iranian missile barrage strikes Israel after deadline Trump announced for ceasefire passes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' 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. The Iranian barrages sent Israelis hurrying into bomb shelters as the sun rose, killing at least three people and injuring eight others, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue services said. Israel has yet to acknowledge Trump's 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. In Beersheba, first responders 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. The direct hit in the largest city in southern Israel came just days after the city's hospital sustained significant damage in a missile strike. The Israeli military said people could leave bomb shelters but cautioned the public to stay close to shelter for the coming hours. Trump's announcement that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' came 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. Israel has not acknowledged the Trump ceasefire announcement. Trump's announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire beginning about midnight Washington time would bring an 'Official END' to the war. Israel doesn't confirm ceasefire but appears to pause strikes Israel 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. 'As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. 'However, 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.' His message was posted at 4:16 a.m. Tehran time. Araghchi added: 'The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.' The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's ceasefire statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Trump describes conflict as '12 Day War' Trump gave the conflict between Israel and Iran a name: the '12 Day War.' That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the 'Six Day War,' in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Trump's 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. 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. 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. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender. Iran's attack against US implied willingness to de-escalate Iran attacked a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday, but appeared to indicate it was prepared to reduce tensions. The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties, said Trump, who dismissed the attack as a 'very weak response.' Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base as 'a flagrant violation' of its sovereignty, airspace and international law. Qatar said it intercepted all but one missile, though it was not clear if that missile caused any damage. Iran said the volley matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Qatar Maj. Gen. Shayeq Al Hajri said 19 missiles were fired at the base that is home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest such wing in the world. Trump said 14 missiles were fired, 13 were knocked down and one was 'set free' because it posed no threat. Iran announced the attack on state television, with a caption calling it 'a mighty and successful response' to 'America's aggression.' Earlier reports that a missile was launched at a base housing American forces in Iraq were a false alarm, a senior U.S. military official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said debris from a malfunctioning Iranian missile targeting Israel had triggered an alert of an impending attack on the Ain al-Assad base. By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed its flights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed. The Israel Airport Authority said that the barrages from Iran forced them to close the country's skies to all passenger planes that were expected to land and depart on Tuesday, including emergency flights. Some flights were forced to circle over the Mediterranean Sea, according to Israeli media. Israel's airports have been closed since the war with Iran began, but a handful of emergency flights had started arriving and departing over the past few days. Israel and Iran trade attacks Israel and Iran traded barrages early Tuesday morning. Iran struck Israel with missiles and drones while Israel said it attacked 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' 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. Iranian state television aired footage it said was shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said many families of detainees 'have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones' in the prison. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States. The Israeli military did not elaborate. In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Trump floats regime change Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. But the latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump himself mentioned the possibility of regime change a day after inserting America into the war with its stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' Before 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. Israel's 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 'quiet for quiet,' in which it would closely monitor Iran's activities and strike if it identifies new threats. Conflict has killed hundreds In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel. The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official said. There are roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, believed to be in Israel. ___ Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
CNA
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNA
Israel reports waves of Iranian missiles, soon after Trump announced ceasefire
WASHINGTON: Israel's military said Iran launched waves of missiles on Tuesday (Jun 24), with emergency services reporting three people killed, hours after United States President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. Witnesses said they heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in southern Israel. Israel's military said six waves of missiles were launched by Iran and Israel's national ambulance service said three people were killed in Beersheba, the first reported deaths in Israel since Trump announced the ceasefire late on Monday. A senior White House official said Trump had brokered a ceasefire deal in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel had agreed so long as Iran did not launch further attacks. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR'," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. An Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, but the country's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks. Abbas Araqchi said early on Tuesday that if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 4am Tehran time (8.30am, Singapore time) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards. "The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X. Trump appeared to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process. Iran's semi-official SNN news agency reported on Tuesday that Tehran fired its last round of missiles before the ceasefire came into effect. Israel, joined by the US on the weekend, has carried out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, after alleging Tehran was getting close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran denies ever having a nuclear weapons program but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that if it wanted to, world leaders "wouldn't be able to stop us". Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday. US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians, a White House official said. Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran soon and had passed the message on to the US. Netanyahu had told government ministers whose discussions ended early on Tuesday not to speak publicly, Israel's Channel 12 television reported. Markets reacted favorably to the news. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4 per cent late on Monday, suggesting traders expect the US stock market to open with gains on Tuesday. US crude futures fell in early Asian trading hours on Tuesday to their lowest level in more than a week after Trump said a ceasefire had been agreed, relieving worries of supply disruption in the region. END TO THE FIGHTING? There did not appear to be calm yet in the region. The Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings in less than two hours to residents of areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, one late on Monday and one early on Tuesday. Israeli Army radio reported early on Tuesday that alarms were activated in the southern Golan Heights area due to fears of hostile aircraft intrusion. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes. He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the US air base, calling it "a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered." Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. Iran's attack came after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel's air war. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after days of bombing. The Trump administration maintains that its aim was solely to destroy Iran's nuclear program, not to open a wider war. "Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon," Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier. "Now Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have because we destroyed it," Vance said. Trump has cited intelligence reports that Iran was close to building a nuclear weaopon, without elaborating. However, US intelligence agencies said earlier this year they assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and a source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters last week that that assessment hadn't changed. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East .
News24
an hour ago
- Politics
- News24
3 killed in missile wave following Trump Iran-Israel ceasefire announcement
US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. But Iran missiles killed three in Israel after the announcement. Both the US and Israel hit Iran nuclear facilities. Israel's military said Iran launched waves of missiles on Tuesday, with emergency services reporting three people killed, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. Witnesses said they heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in southern Israel. Israel's military said six waves of missiles were launched by Iran and Israel's national ambulance service said three people were killed in Beersheba, the first reported deaths in Israel since Trump announced the ceasefire late on Monday. A senior White House official said Trump had brokered a ceasefire deal in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel had agreed so long as Iran did not launch further attacks. 'On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR',' Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. READ | Israel's Netanyahu justifies Iran strikes as 'contributing to the successes in Gaza' An Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, but the country's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks. Abbas Araqchi said early on Tuesday that if Israel stopped its 'illegal aggression' against the Iranian people no later than 04:00 Tehran time (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterward. The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later. Abbas Araqchi Trump appeared to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that were under way, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process. Iran's semi-official SNN news agency reported on Tuesday that Tehran fired its last round of missiles before the ceasefire came into effect. Israel, joined by the US on the weekend, has carried out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, after alleging Tehran was getting close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran denies ever having a nuclear weapons programme but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that if it wanted to, world leaders 'wouldn't be able to stop us'. Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday. US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians, a White House official said. Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran soon and had passed the message on to the US. Netanyahu had told government ministers whose discussions ended early on Tuesday not to speak publicly, Israel's Channel 12 television reported. Markets reacted favourably to the news. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% late on Monday, suggesting traders expect the US stock market to open with gains on Tuesday. Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images US crude futures fell in early Asian trading hours on Tuesday to their lowest level in more than a week after Trump said a ceasefire had been agreed, relieving worries of supply disruption in the region. There did not appear to be calm yet in the region. The Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings in less than two hours to residents of areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, one late on Monday and one early on Tuesday. Israeli Army radio reported early on Tuesday that alarms were activated in the southern Golan Heights area due to fears of hostile aircraft intrusion. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed toward peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes. He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the US air base, calling it 'a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered'. Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. Askin Kiyagan/Anadolu via Getty Images Iran's attack came after US bombers dropped 30 000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel's air war. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after days of bombing. The Trump administration maintains that its aim was solely to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, not to open a wider war. 'Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon,' Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier. 'Now Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have because we destroyed it,' Vance said. Trump has cited intelligence reports that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, without elaborating. However, US intelligence agencies said earlier this year they assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and a source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters last week that that assessment hadn't changed. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel, however, had made clear that its strikes on Evin prison - a notorious jail for housing political prisoners - and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power.
France 24
an hour ago
- Politics
- France 24
Uncertainty shrouds Israel-Iran ceasefire as attacks persist after Trump announcement
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire," but its status remained unclear as attacks continued Tuesday. Trump's announcement came 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 . Iran's foreign minister said that as long as Israel stopped its attacks by 4 a.m. local Tehran time Tuesday, Iran would halt its own. But nearly an hour after that deadline, Israel's military warned its public that Iran had launched missiles towards it as sirens sounded. At least one missile interception could be seen over the skies of Jerusalem and warnings of three further attacks followed as day broke. What appeared to be a residential building in southern Israel sustained heavy damage, according to an image released by Israel's Fire and Rescue Services. The face of the large 7-story building appeared blown off. It's unclear what the detected missile launches would do for the ceasefire's timeline. Trump's announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire wouldn't begin until about midnight Tuesday Eastern time. He said it would bring an 'Official END' to the war. Israel doesn't confirm ceasefire but appears to pause strikes Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. local. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Tehran and other cities until shortly before that time. Israel in other conflicts has stepped up its strikes just before ceasefires took effect. 'As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. 'However, 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.' His message was posted at 4:16 a.m. Tehran time. Araghchi added: 'The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.' The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's ceasefire statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Trump describes conflict as '12 Day War' Trump gave the conflict between Israel and Iran a name: the '12 Day War.' That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the 'Six Day War,' in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Trump's 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. 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. 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. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender. Iran attack against US implied willingness to de-escalate Iran attacked a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday, but appeared to indicate it was prepared to reduce tensions. The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties, said Trump, who dismissed the attack as a 'very weak response.' Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base as 'a flagrant violation" of its sovereignty, airspace and international law. Qatar said it intercepted all but one missile, though it was not clear if that missile caused any damage. Iran said the volley matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Qatar Maj. Gen. Shayeq Al Hajri said 19 missiles were fired at the base that is home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest such wing in the world. Trump said 14 missiles were fired, 13 were knocked down and one was 'set free' because it posed no threat. Iran announced the attack on state television, with a caption calling it 'a mighty and successful response" to "America's aggression.' Earlier reports that a missile was launched at a base housing American forces in Iraq were a false alarm, a senior U.S. military official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said debris from a malfunctioning Iranian missile targeting Israel had triggered an alert of an impending attack on the Ain al-Assad base. By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed its flights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed. Israel and Iran trade attacks Israel and Iran traded barrages early Tuesday morning. Iran struck Israel with missiles and drones while Israel said it attacked 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' 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. Iranian state television aired footage it said was shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said many families of detainees 'have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones' in the prison. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States. The Israeli military did not elaborate. In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Trump floats regime change Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. But the latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump himself mentioned the possibility of regime change a day after inserting America into the war with its stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' Before 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. Israel's 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 'quiet for quiet,' in which it would closely monitor Iran's activities and strike if it identifies new threats. Conflict has killed hundreds In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel. The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official said. There are roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, believed to be in Israel.
Times of Oman
an hour ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Trump says Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to be phased in over 24 hours. The ceasefire would start with Iran and then be joined by Israel 12 hours later, according to the announcement. What you need to know Donald Trump announced a "complete and total ceasefire" between Israel and Iran that would end the "12 day war" between the countries, though neither the Israeli nor the Iranian government commented on the accord at the time of announcement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later posted to X that no "agreement" had been reached on a ceasefire with Israel at this time.
