Israel on Tuesday accused Iran of breaking a cease-fire that the two sides had announced hours earlier, raising questions about whether the war that began more than a week ago would continue.
President Trump had announced the agreement on social media late Monday. But there was uncertainty over when, or whether, a cease-fire would begin. Even as Iranian state media confirmed it, the Israeli military said that Iran was still firing missiles at Israel.
Israel later confirmed the truce, but two hours later its military said it had detected another missile launch from Iran. Senior Israeli officials vowed to “respond with force,” though Iranian state media said the government had denied launching the attacks.
Here’s what to know:
What did Trump announce?
Mr. Trump said on Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a “complete and total cease-fire” that would begin about six hours later, or 7 a.m. in Israel.
Mr. Trump said on social media that Iran and Israel would have to complete ongoing military missions and that the war would be “considered ended” 24 hours after the cease-fire. He struck a conciliatory tone by commending Iran and Israel for agreeing to end the conflict.
“This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will,” he wrote on social media.
But the exact details of the cease-fire remained unclear.
What happened overnight?
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran initially denied that an agreement had been reached, but said that Iran would stop its attacks if Israel also halted fire.
Iranian state television later announced that the cease-fire had come into effect, and Mr. Araghchi wrote on social media that Iranian military operations against Israel had “continued until the very last minute, at 4 a.m.”
The Israeli military declined to comment on whether a cease-fire had taken effect, saying only that Iran had launched at least four barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel. At least four people were killed in a direct hit on an apartment building in the southern city of Beersheba, according to Israel’s emergency service.
The Israeli military also said that its warplanes had struck missile launchers in western Iran that were poised to fire at Israel.
Mr. Trump then returned to social media to say that the cease-fire was in effect, and to ask Israel and Iran not to violate it.
The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed the cease-fire on social media at 9 a.m. local time, saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told his cabinet, military and security chiefs that Israel had “achieved all of the objectives” in its campaign against Iran.
But Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, later accused Iran of breaking the cease-fire. “In light of the severe violation of the cease-fire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will respond with force,” he said in a statement.
What led to the cease-fire?
The war began on June 13, when Israel launched strikes against military leaders, and nuclear facilities and scientists in Iran. The United States became directly involved on Sunday by striking three of Iran’s most important nuclear facilities, including Fordo, its most deeply buried site.
Israel had been pressuring the Trump administration to use American weapons, including a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb, to help destroy the sites. Israeli strikes had already done some damage to nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan, but much of Fordo is built deep inside a mountain and it did not have the weapons to seriously damage the site.
Mr. Trump claimed that the sites had been “completely and totally obliterated” by the American strikes, even as other U.S. officials offered more cautious assessments of the damage.
Iran retaliated on Monday striking the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. Mr. Trump said all but one of the Iranian missiles were downed, and that no American troops had been injured or killed.
More than 400 people have died in Iran and at least 3,000 have been wounded as a result of Israeli attacks, according to the country’s health ministry. Israel’s initial attacks also killed three generals at the top of Iran’s military command structure and two nuclear scientists.
In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed following Iranian attacks, according to the government, including four in southern Israel who were confirmed dead by the Israeli fire and rescue service on Tuesday.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
The post What to Know About the Cease-Fire Between Israel and Iran appeared first on New York Times.
