🔴LIVE UPDATES: Israeli warplanes strike two sites in Iran despite Trump warning to Tel Aviv - Region

Al-Ahram Weekly

24-06-2025

14:50 Iranian media reported two explosions north of Tehran and another in the city of Babolsar, in Mazandaran Province, prompting the activation of Iranian air defences.
According to Axios, citing an Israeli official, US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him not to launch any attack on Iran.
Netanyahu reportedly told Trump he could not cancel the planned strike, insisting that a response was necessary following what Israel claimed was an Iranian violation of the ceasefire.
Israeli Army Radio said the air force targeted a radar facility near Tehran in what it described as a symbolic strike. Channel 14 reported the military installation was hit shortly after Trump publicly instructed Israel to call off its bombing plans.
Israeli media later quoted security sources saying the incident had concluded and that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in effect.
14:30 President Trump posts Israeli jetfighters on their way to attack Iran, but they will not do so and will return!
Earlier, Trump issued a warning to Israel on his Truth Social platform. He says the country should not carry out strikes.
14:00 The US president wrote: "ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!"
The warning follows an agreed ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which came into effect early this morning.
Trump said both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire he announced hours earlier, and he was not happy with either country, but especially Israel.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for the Nato summit in The Hague, Trump said Israel 'unloaded' right after agreeing to the deal.
Trump said the country's nuclear capacities are gone and it would never rebuild its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump said that Israel has to 'calm down' after he said both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire he tried to broker.
'I gotta get Israel to calm down now,' Trump said as he left the White House, Reuters reported.
'Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before, the biggest load that we've seen."
'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f**k they're doing.'
13:45 Iran's health minister says 606 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since 13 June, Iranian media report.
More than 5,000 people have been injured and are receiving medical care, Mohammad Reza Zafarghani says.
The minister also says Iran has seen its worst attacks in the past 24 hours, with 107 people killed, as reported by the BBC.
13:30 Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani persuaded Iran to accept a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel after Iranian missiles struck near the American-run Al Udeid base outside Doha, a source familiar with the talks told AFP.
Al-Thani contacted Iranian officials at Washington's request following Monday's unprecedented attack on Qatari soil, the source said.
'In the aftermath of the strikes on Al Udeid, President [Donald] Trump told the Emir of Qatar that Israel had signed off on an American ceasefire proposal,' the source added.
'The US president then asked Qatar to help Iran agree to a deal... Vice President JD Vance spoke to the Qatari prime minister... who persuaded Iran to agree to the proposal in a call with the Iranians.'
Israel confirmed on Tuesday that it had accepted the truce, which Trump announced hours earlier. Iran's Supreme National Security Council, meanwhile, said Israel had been compelled to 'unilaterally' cease fire.
Since then, both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement.
12:50 Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the strike 'had nothing to do' with Qatar and was an 'act of self-defence' against US and Israeli threats.
'Iran remains fully committed to its good-neighbourliness policy with respect to the State of Qatar and other neighbouring countries,' he posted on X.
'We resolve not to let US/Israeli criminal aggressions and malign policies against Iran create division between us and the brotherly countries of the region.'
12:30 Qatar has condemned Iran's missile strike on the US-run Al-Udeid air base, calling it a 'blatant aggression' and 'flagrant violation' of its sovereignty, the BBC reported.
In a letter to the UN secretary general, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Monday's attack as an 'extremely dangerous escalation' that posed 'a direct threat to regional peace and security.'
The letter accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of endangering Qatar's territorial integrity and said Doha reserved the right to respond 'directly and proportionately' in line with international law. Qatar also said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador.
12:10 Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces, said no missiles had been fired towards Israel in recent hours, according to Iranian state media.
At 08:30 CLT, the Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran and intercepted them over northern Israel.
Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces. Iranian media
Before the Trump-declared truce began, both sides exchanged heavy fire overnight.
Iranian state media say waves of missiles from Israel have hit the capital and other cities - at least nine people have been killed, including a nuclear scientist.
Some residents told BBC Persian they saw one of the "heaviest" barrages since the conflict began 12 days ago.
11:40 Iran's Supreme National Security Council has released a statement about "imposing the halt of the war" on Israel and its "terrorist supporters".
The Council warned that "any further aggression will be met with a decisive, firm, and timely response by Iran."
The Council praises the Iranian people for their "awareness, resilience, and unity."
It added that the "enemy's defeat" is due to the Iranians' "firm resolve, strategic patience, and refusal to accept humiliation or one-sided compromise."
The statement also commended Iran and its forces for delivering "decisive and calculated blows" in retaliation for attacks on Iran.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would halt attacks only if Israel ceased its own.
11:00 Israel has vowed a forceful response after claiming Iran fired two missiles shortly after a Trump-declared ceasefire between Tel-Aviv and Tehran came into effect, escalating tensions despite the truce.
Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the army to 'respond forcefully to Iran's violation of the ceasefire with intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.'
Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir promised: 'We will strike with force,' while far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted: 'Tehran will tremble.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Tel Aviv would 'respond forcefully' to truce violations.
10:00 An Iranian ballistic missile struck a residential building in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba early Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding 20 others — just hours before a Trump-declared ceasefire between Iran and Israel came into effect.
Air raid sirens sounded across northern and southern Israel around 5:00am local time, shortly before the impacts.
The Israeli army said Iran launched between 10 and 15 ballistic missiles in six salvos, according to statements carried by local media.
The attack lasted more than an hour, Al Jazeera reported.
Emergency services responded to multiple strike sites, including the heavily damaged apartment block in Beersheba in the Negev Desert.
Firefighters and Home Front Command soldiers later recovered the body of a fifth victim from the rubble, according to the Fire and Rescue Service.
Two of the wounded were reported in moderate condition.
The strikes occurred four hours after US President Donald Trump said at 1:00am Cairo Local Time (CLT) that Iran and Israel had agreed to a truce.
He declared the ceasefire officially in effect at 8:08am CLT.
Israel confirmed its acceptance around 9:10am CLT.
Iran, however, denied that any agreement had been reached. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would halt its operations only if Israel ended its 'illegal aggression.'
Emergency workers check the damage caused to a building from an Iranian missile strike in Beersheba in southern Israel on June 24, 2025. AFP
09:00 Israel has accepted a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement carried by Israeli media on Tuesday.
Earlier, Trump announced that a truce was now in effect and urged both sides to avoid further escalation.
Netanyahu's office said the prime minister met with senior officials, including the defence minister, military chief of staff, and the head of Mossad, to declare the success of 'Operation Rising Lion,' according to Israeli media.
'Israel has removed a dual immediate existential threat – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields,' the statement claimed.
The Iranian flag flutters next to an image of Mohammad Bakeri, commander of the surface-to-surface missile array in the Revolutionary Guards Air Force, with the slogan 'Killed by Natanyahu' at a memorial for those killed by Israel, at Hafteh-tir Square, in Tehran on June 23, 2025. AFP
08:00 US President Donald Trump today announced a comprehensive ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, declaring an imminent end to what he termed "THE 12 DAY WAR."
This dramatic development follows an overnight missile attack by Iran on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which houses US troops.
According to President Trump's post, the ceasefire agreement has been "fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran." The process is set to begin in approximately six hours from the time of the announcement, allowing both nations to conclude their current military operations.
The overnight Iranian missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base was a direct retaliation for the recent US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities. While explosions were heard over Qatar's capital, Doha, Qatari and US officials confirmed that the missiles were successfully intercepted, resulting in no casualties or significant damage. President Trump acknowledged the Iranian strike, calling it a "very weak response" and noting that the US was given advance warning, which helped prevent any loss of life. Iran, for its part, stated the strike was calibrated to mirror the number of bombs dropped by the US on its nuclear sites and was not intended to harm its "friendly and brotherly country, Qatar."
The ceasefire agreement details a staggered de-escalation: Iran will initiate its ceasefire first, followed by Israel commencing its ceasefire upon the 12th hour. The conflict will then be officially declared "ENDED" at the 24th hour. During their respective ceasefire periods, both sides are expected to remain "PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL."
President Trump expressed strong optimism for the success of the agreement, stating, "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.'"
He emphasized the significance of this resolution, noting, "This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!" The announcement concluded with a message of hope for the region: "God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East God bless the United States."
This development marks a dramatic and rapid shift in the escalating conflict, which had seen direct military strikes between Israel, Iran, and direct US involvement. The international community had been bracing for further escalation, with concerns over rising oil prices and disrupted shipping lanes following Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz. If confirmed and adhered to, this ceasefire could avert a wider, more devastating conflict in the Middle East.
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