Iran’s military on Tuesday denied accusations of firing missiles at Israel, hours after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was supposed to begin.
The denial, aired by Iranian state television, quoted the general staff overseeing both the regular military and the Revolutionary Guard.
Israel, however, claimed missiles were launched two and a half hours into the ceasefire window, prompting officials to authorize retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets.
At press time, there were no confirmed reports of Israeli action on Iranian soil.
The fragile truce, accepted by both nations to end nearly two weeks of escalating conflict, quickly unraveled. Explosions rocked northern Israel midmorning as sirens wailed, hours after the ceasefire took effect.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned the attack as a violation and ordered the military to resume “intense operations to attack Tehran and to destroy targets of the regime and terror infrastructure.”
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The ceasefire followed a turbulent series of events, including Iran’s missile retaliation against a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday. Although no casualties were reported, Iran had reportedly warned Washington in advance.
Before the truce, Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian infrastructure, to which Iran responded with missile barrages that killed at least four Israelis and injured 20 others. “Tehran will tremble,” Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich posted on X after the strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump had celebrated the truce, declaring on social media, “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his government agreed to the truce in coordination with Trump and stated that Israel had already achieved its primary military objectives, including neutralizing Iran’s nuclear and missile threats.
Netanyahu also claimed Israel had inflicted major damage on Iranian military leadership, hit state facilities, and asserted air dominance over Tehran. Iran, however, remained silent on the alleged post-truce missile launches.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cast doubt on any agreement, posting, “As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
He added, “The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”
Violence spread further overnight, with Iranian drones reportedly attacking several Iraqi military bases, including facilities housing U.S. forces. Though no casualties were reported, Iraq’s military said radar systems at Camp Taji and Imam Ali Base were damaged.
Drone attacks were also intercepted in other locations. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman called the strikes a “treacherous and cowardly act of aggression.”
A U.S. military source confirmed that American forces had downed drones targeting Ain al-Assad and a base near Baghdad airport. Despite the chaos, President Trump had earlier hailed the ceasefire as the definitive end to the “12 Day War.”
A White House official said Trump personally spoke with Netanyahu to secure the deal, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and others negotiated with Iran through diplomatic backchannels, with Qatar playing a key mediating role.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remained defiant, writing online that he “would not surrender.”
Following the renewed violence, Israel’s Airports Authority temporarily closed its airspace to emergency flights, diverting several planes over the Mediterranean. Airports had only just resumed limited operations after being shut since the conflict began. In Qatar, flights resumed Tuesday after Monday’s missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base.
Human rights groups report mounting casualties. According to Washington-based Human Rights Activists, Israeli strikes have killed 974 people in Iran and injured 3,458, including 387 civilians and 268 security personnel.
In Israel, 28 people have died and over 1,000 have been wounded since the conflict began.
The U.S. has evacuated about 250 American citizens and their families from Israel, with roughly 700,000 Americans, many with dual Israeli nationality, still in the country, a State Department official confirmed.
