‘Achieved War Goals Against Iran’ Netanyahu Agrees to Ceasefire
In a day marked by contradictory reports and escalating violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that his country has agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, a deal reportedly brokered by US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu, expressing gratitude to Trump for his support and role in “eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat,” declared that Israel had achieved its war goals against Iran.
However, this announcement was immediately undercut by a deadly attack in Israel. Just hours after Trump’s public declaration of a “complete and total ceasefire,” an Iranian ballistic missile struck an apartment block in Be’er Sheva, southern Israel, killing at least three people and injuring several others. Sirens blared across central and southern Israel as this marked the third salvo of Iranian ballistic missiles in less than an hour, according to the Times of Israel.
The US President had taken to Truth Social on Monday, stating, “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!”
Despite Trump’s optimistic pronouncement, Iran’s foreign minister had earlier stated that Tehran had not received any ceasefire agreement or proposal from the US, reiterating that Iran would only halt attacks if Israel ceased its military operations. This significant disconnect between the US-brokered deal and the ongoing ground reality has fueled immense confusion and concern.
According to a senior White House official, Trump’s team, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, engaged in direct and indirect communications with Tehran to secure the ceasefire. Trump himself reportedly spoke directly to Netanyahu, urging “peace” soon after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend. These US strikes were a direct intervention in the 12-day-old conflict, which began with Israel’s ‘Operation Rising Lion’ targeting Iranian military bases and nuclear sites.
The conflict has already resulted in approximately 400 deaths in Iran and around 24 in Israel prior to today’s fatalities. Netanyahu, in his statement, asserted that Israel’s war goals, including the removal of the threat from Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, had been achieved. The White House official indicated that Trump’s decision to intervene militarily, a step he had long vowed to avoid, was a “strategic gamble” to validate his foreign policy.
The current situation remains highly volatile, with emergency services in Be’er Sheva responding to the missile strike and the global community watching anxiously for signs of whether the announced ceasefire will genuinely take hold.
