Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday confirmed that Israel has accepted a ceasefire proposal with Iran, signalling the end of 12 days of intense hostilities between the two regional rivals.
In an official statement, Netanyahu declared that Israel had achieved — and even exceeded — the strategic goals of its military campaign, dubbed Operation Rising Lion. "Israel has removed a dual immediate existential threat — both in the nuclear domain and in the ballistic missile domain," the Prime Minister's Office stated.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to the statement, had "achieved complete air superiority over Tehran's skies, struck a severe blow to the military leadership, and destroyed dozens of key regime targets in Iran." It added that in the past 24 hours, the IDF targeted sites deep inside Tehran, eliminated hundreds of Basij operatives — described as the "oppression mechanism of the terror regime" — and killed another senior Iranian nuclear scientist.
Netanyahu also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his administration's support and "participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat." He added, "In light of achieving the operation's objectives, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the President's proposal for a bilateral ceasefire."
However, just before the ceasefire came into effect, Iran launched a final barrage of ballistic missiles toward Israel. One missile struck a residential building in Beersheba, killing four civilians and injuring several others. Iranian state media later clarified that the attack occurred before the ceasefire formally took effect.
In a warning, Netanyahu's office said Israel "will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire."
Shortly after Netanyahu's statement, U.S. President Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to confirm the truce. "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!" he posted.
Trump added that both nations had approached him almost simultaneously seeking peace. "The World, and the Middle East, are the real winners!" he wrote. "The future for Israel & Iran is unlimited, & filled with great promise. God bless you both!"
However, confusion followed as Iran denied agreeing to any official ceasefire. A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official stated that Tehran had announced a unilateral pause in military operations effective 4 A.M. local time — but emphasized that it was a tactical decision, not part of any coordinated truce. "Iran has temporarily paused its military operations," the official said. "This is contingent upon Israel halting all offensive measures. There has been no official ceasefire agreement communicated to us."
As of now, no multilateral ceasefire document has been signed, and Israel has not directly responded to Trump's declaration or Iran's unilateral pause.
The ceasefire follows nearly two weeks of escalating violence. It began with Israel's Operation Rising Lion, which targeted key Iranian nuclear and military assets. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli cities and later expanded its retaliation to include U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq, following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
While the fighting has momentarily halted, the region remains on edge with lingering mistrust, conflicting narratives, and no formal ceasefire agreement in place.
