Iran strikes Israel with fresh missile attack hours after Trump's ceasefire claim

Tel Aviv, June 24 (IANS) Hours after US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire had been achieved, Israel sounded missile sirens and urged citizens to take shelter following new strikes launched from Iran.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed incoming missile threats, stating that defensive units were actively working to intercept them.

Emergency services reported that a ballistic missile had hit a building in Beersheba.

While no immediate injuries were recorded, Magen David Adom confirmed that teams had been deployed to the scene to assess the impact.

The missile barrage came shortly after Iran's announcement that it had halted all military operations against Israel as of 4 a.m. local time.

However, Iranian authorities also clarified that their ceasefire was conditional -- dependent on Israel ceasing its own military actions.

This apparent contradiction followed Trump's assertion on his social media platform, Truth Social, that a ceasefire had been reached.

He made the claim after Iran fired missiles at US military bases in Qatar. Trump posted that both Israel and Iran had agreed to halt hostilities.

However, Tehran swiftly denied receiving any formal ceasefire agreement or proposal from the United States. Iran's Foreign Minister reiterated that

Israel had initiated the war and added that Tehran had paused its military operations from 4 a.m. local time, contingent on reciprocal de-escalation from Tel Aviv. Israel has not issued any official response to Trump's ceasefire announcement.

The conflict between Iran and Israel, now in its 12th day, began after Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion," targeting Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure.

Since then, the region has seen continuous missile exchanges between the two nations. Iran has reportedly suffered approximately 400 casualties, while Israel has recorded around 24 deaths.

The situation intensified further when the US entered the conflict, launching precision strikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities --Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan -- prompting heightened alerts across the Middle East.

--IANS

int/sd/