US President Trump calls for calm as truce agreement raises hope of an end to the dangerous conflict.
Iran and Israel are reported to have agreed to a ceasefire following 12 days of exchanging intense air strikes, including a “last-minute” barrage fired by Tehran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday morning that Israel had agreed to the truce proposal announced by United States President Donald Trump overnight. Earlier, Iranian state television reported that the ceasefire had begun.
The Israeli statement came not long after Trump had said in a post on social media that the ceasefire was under way.
“The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” he said.
While Netanyahu threatened that Israel would respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire, the agreement raises hopes for a de-escalation in a conflict that intensified dramatically in recent days, as the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities and Tehran attacked a US base in Qatar.
“In light of the achievement of the objectives of the operation, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the President’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire,” he said.
Waves of missiles
A fragile peace appeared to take hold early on Tuesday, with reports of hostilities ceasing following six waves of missile launches by Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi implied the strikes were launched just before a 07.30 GMT deadline announced by Trump.
“The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute,” he wrote on social media.
Several people were killed in the attacks, emergency services and the Israeli military said. Not long afterwards, Israelis were told they could leave missile shelters, and no further launches have been reported.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said Israeli strikes on the capital had halted, calling the calm “a promising indication about the prospect of the ceasefire”.
But he noted that the situation remains fragile, with Iran, like Israel, having pledged to strike back in case there is any resumption of attacks against it.
‘Now Gaza’
Following Netanyahu’s announcement that his government had agreed to the ceasefire, Israel’s opposition called for him to seal a truce to end the 20-month war with Hamas in Gaza.
“And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on social media.
However, hardliners criticised the agreement, insisting Iran remains dangerous.
The “regime in Iran is not a regime with which agreements are made but a regime that must be defeated,” wrote Dan Illouz, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party.
“If not defeated” Iran will find new means against Israel, he declared.
Israel attacked Iran on June 13 saying that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. Trump made a similar assertion before the US strikes on Saturday.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog IAEA on Monday demanded access to Iran’s nuclear facilities to confirm the location and state of the country’s enriched uranium.
There has been speculation that Iran may have moved its stock of the nuclear material ahead of the US strikes on the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz facilities.
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said on Tuesday that Tehran is assessing damage to its nuclear industry and arrangements have been made for its restoration, the Reuters news agency reported.
“The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services,” Eslami said.
