Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has ordered a fresh wave of military strikes on Tehran, accusing Iran of breaching a ceasefire agreement that was announced just hours earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Katz said he had instructed the Israeli military to “continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran,” citing what he described as “Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States.”
Iran, however, denied any breach of the agreement. Nour News, a media outlet affiliated with Iran’s top security agencies, quoted the country’s armed forces general staff as saying there had been “no launch of missiles towards Israel in recent hours.”
The renewed hostilities have cast immediate doubt over the fragile truce, which was intended to bring an end to nearly two weeks of escalating conflict between the two regional adversaries.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump had declared the ceasefire in effect on his social media platform, Truth Social, writing: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”
Both nations had initially confirmed the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had accomplished its military objectives and expressed gratitude to President Trump and the United States for their support “in defence and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Tehran would halt retaliatory strikes as long as Israel also ceased its attacks, starting from 4:00 a.m. local time. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council described the ceasefire as evidence of Israel’s “forced acceptance of defeat,” but warned that its forces remained ready to respond to any renewed aggression.
The ceasefire had initially sparked optimism in global markets, leading to a rally in stocks and a drop in oil prices amid hopes that the conflict was de-escalating. However, the latest developments have reignited fears of a prolonged confrontation.
