3 Israelis Killed In Iranian Attack Minutes Before Planned Cease-Fire Start
Three people were killed in the Israeli city of Beersheba when an Iranian rocket smashed into a high-rise apartment building, minutes before the reported 7 a.m. start of a cease-fire announced earlier by US President Donald Trump, Israeli officials said.
Details are still unclear from the southern Israeli city of some 214,000 people as sirens blared over multiple regions from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m. on June 24.
Trump announced that a “complete and total” cease-fire had been agreed to in the conflict between Israel and Iran and that it was due to take effect in phased steps.
Trump posted the announcement on his Truth Social platform, saying it would start "approximately" six hours later, which indicated a 7 a.m. start time in Israel.
Israel has not commented on the cease-fire announcement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi appeared to acknowledge that a pause in attacks had was in the works.
Sirens began blaring over the Haifa region at 5:15 a.m. in Israel after the military warned citizens of an incoming missile launch from Iran.
After 6 a.m., the military said another wave of missiles had been launched toward Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba.
Israeli officials reported that at least three people had been killed and another person was missing when the high-rise building in Beersheba was struck, although details were not immediately available.
With reporting by Reuters
Trump Says Cease-Fire In Effect After Expressing Anger Over Violations
By RFE/RL
(Editor's Note: Coarse language in fourth paragraph)
US President Donald Trump claimed a cease-fire between Iran and Israel was “in effect” on June 24 after lashing out at both sides for violating the agreement he brokered and calling for calm.
Taking questions as he prepared to leave Washington for a NATO summit at The Hague, Trump appeared angry with Israel over reports it was again striking targets inside the territory of its archenemy despite an agreement to hold fire.
“They [Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it, too,” Trump said. He added, ”I’m not happy with Israel."
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said adding, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”
Israel said it struck Iranian radar stations near Tehran and accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect. The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, state media reported.
Trump, who arrived later in Amsterdam to attend the NATO summit, said later the deal was saved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he held off on a tougher strike against Iran after speaking to Trump.
Read the entire article here.
Blinken Calls Trump Iran Strike 'A Mistake' But Says 'I Hope It Succeeds'
Antony Blinken, the secretary of state under the previous US administration has been offering his reflections on recent events in Iran.
Describing the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as "unwise and unnecessary," he echoed concerns expressed elsewhere that Iran might "spread its stockpile of uranium already enriched to just short of weapons grade to various secure sites and preserve enough centrifuges to further enrich that stockpile in short order."
Nonetheless, he also voiced hope that the recent military actions might also bring Iran back to the nuclear negotiating table.
"Now that the military die has been cast," he says. "I can only hope that we inflicted maximum damage -- damage that gives the president the leverage he needs to finally deliver the deal he has so far failed to achieve."
Netanyahu Hails 'Historic Victory'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just been making a televised address to his country.
Describing his country's actions in Iran as a "historic victory" that will "stand for generations," he also had words of praise for the US president, claiming Israel "never had a better friend" than Donald Trump in the White House.
He was also bullish about Israel's recent strikes on Iran, saying "We have dismantled the Iranian nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran thinks of rebuilding it -- we will strike again."
12 Days Of War: Takeaways From The Israel-Iran Conflict
By Kian Sharifi
After 12 days of unprecedented direct hostilities, Israel and Iran have agreed to a cease-fire that has brought a tense and uneasy calm to the region.
The war, marked by devastating air strikes, missile barrages, and covert operations, has left both countries reeling. While the immediate fighting has stopped, the political, military, and nuclear implications of this brief but intense war are only beginning to unfold.
Both countries have rushed to claim success, with the Israelis insisting they accomplished their goals and the Iranians claiming to have “imposed” the cease-fire on their archfoe.
Yet beneath the official statements, analysts warn that the cease-fire is fragile, the strategic balance has shifted, and the risk of renewed conflict or dangerous escalation remains high.
Israel's Gains, And A Critical Omission
Israel’s government declared it had “achieved all the objectives of Operation Rising Lion,” citing the reported destruction of key Iranian nuclear and missile sites, the elimination of senior military leaders, and air superiority over Tehran.
“Israel was able to strike key military strategic governmental targets quite effectively,” Farzan Sabet, a managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told RFE/RL.
He said the conflict highlighted the extent of the Israeli infiltration of Iran’s security apparatus, adding the country's intelligence agency Mossad "was able to basically create a legion of defectors who were probably one of the elements in this war that caused the greatest damage.”
Read the entire article here.
'Concerning Reports' About Iranian-Swedish Researcher On Death Row
Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, says she has been receiving "concerning reports" about imprisoned Swedish-Iranian researcher Ahmadreza Djalali. Djalali was detained in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel. He has denied all the charges against him.
Iranians Flock To RFE/RL's Radio Farda Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
By RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Audiences inside Iran and across the Middle East have flocked to RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, Radio Farda, amid the conflict between Israel and Iran. Without Radio Farda's coverage, millions of Iranians would have been left in an information vacuum or at the mercy of state propaganda.
Iranian President Says Tehran Will Not Violate Cease-Fire Unless Israel Does
By RFE/RL
Iran's president has said his country will not violate the US-backed cease-fire proposal so long as Israel also adheres to it.
In a statement released by the presidential office on June 24, Masud Pezeshkian also said that Iran was “ready for dialogue, to pursue and secure the legitimate rights of the Iranian nation at the negotiating table.”
Pezeshkian’s comments, made in a phone call with Malaysia’s prime minister, come hours after US President Donald Trump declared a cease-fire in the 12-day-old conflict between Israel and Iran.
Earlier on June 24, however, the two sides were still striking one another. Prior to the time when the cease-fire was supposedly to take effect, an Iranian missile hit an apartment complex in the southern city of Beersheba, killing at least five people.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it struck missile launchers in western Iran that were poised to fire at Israel.
The reports of continuing barrages prompted an angry comment from Trump as he departed the White House for a NATO summit in The Hague.
Iran “violated it, but Israel violated it, too,” he said.
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” he said adding, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”
Iran's Health Minister: More Than 600 Killed Over 12 Days Of Israeli Strikes
More than 600 Iranians have been killed over 12 days of Israeli strikes, the country's health minister said.
The figure, released on June 24 by Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi, was the first official tally of the death toll from the ongoing attacks. He did not release separate figures for civilians or military deaths.
RFE/RL was not able to immediately confirm those figures. Two days earlier, a top United Nations official said 430 Iranians had been killed since the start of Israel's campaign on June 13; mostly civilians.
Zafarqandi also said more than 5,300 people had been wounded, with nearly a quarter of that figure suffering injuries over the previous day.
Israel Strikes Iranian Targets As Trump Warns Sides To Stick To Cease-Fire
- By RFE/RL
(Editor's Note: coarse language in fourth paragraph)
Israel said it struck Iranian radar stations near Tehran as US President Donald Trump lashed out at both sides saying "these guys gotta calm down" and stick to an hours-old cease-fire aimed at ending 12 days of air strikes launched by both countries.
Taking questions as he prepared to leave Washington on June 24 for a NATO summit at The Hague, Trump appeared angry with Israel over reports it was again striking targets inside the territory of its archenemy despite an agreement to hold fire.
“They [Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it, too,” Trump said. He added, ”I’m not happy with Israel."
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said adding, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f—- they’re doing.”
After his comments, Trump went on social media with a further warning to Israel: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION,” Trump posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
Despite saying it had agreed to the cease-fire early on June 24, new strikes from Israel were reported in northern Tehran with explosions heard in the capital.
Israeli Army Radio said Iranian radar facilities were the target of the attack.
To read the full article, click here.
France, Germany Welcome Cease-Fire Announcement From Trump
- By RFE/RL
France, Germany, and other Western nations welcomed the US announcement of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran, even as missiles continued to fly before and after it was supposed to take effect.
France's Foreign Ministry said the proposal, announced by US President Donald Trump, "must must lead to a complete cessation of hostilities, which France calls on all parties to respect."
Germany's chancellor, meanwhile, voiced hope that the cease-fire would take hold "following the decisive US military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities."
Speaking to reporters on June 24 before boarding a flight to the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump said he was "not happy" with either side, and he accused Israel of "unloading" shortly after agreeing to the truce.