The first direct war between Israel and Iran halted on Tuesday after President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between the two nations, just two days after the United States launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
If the fragile ceasefire holds, it will mark the end of what Trump is calling the “12 Day War.” The war was marked by Israeli air, drone, and missile strikes against Iran, and Iran fought back with ballistic missile and drone strikes against Israel. The war resulted in 29 Israelis killed and thousands wounded, compared to at least 600 Iranians killed and several thousand wounded.
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Iran and Israel have been fighting each other in proxy conflicts since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but these conflicts reached an unprecedented intensity following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. Israel launched its first direct strike against Iran on April 1, 2024, when it struck the Iranian Consulate in Damascus in an airstrike. The airstrike killed 16 people, including eight officers with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran retaliated on April 13, launching over 150 ballistic and cruise missiles and 170 drones against Israel, though nearly all were intercepted. Israel retaliated with airstrikes targeting Iran’s air defense network on April 18, 2024.
Their relationship simmered until July, when Israel assassinated Hamas political head Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran. Iran vowed a response but held back until Israel assassinated Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes targeting the group’s underground headquarters on Sept. 27. On Oct. 1, Iran launched another direct missile attack against Israel, though again, most missiles were intercepted, and only minor damage was reported. Israel responded with airstrikes against Iran on Oct. 26, hitting Iranian ballistic missile and air defense networks.
Israel was emboldened following its rout of Hezbollah, its mauling of Hamas, and the fall of the Assad regime in December, leaving Iran weak and isolated. After months of threats, it decided to undertake an unprecedented military operation to cripple Tehran once and for all.
Here is a timeline of key events in the war that many believe to be a watershed in Middle Eastern history:
June 13: Israel begins war with surprise attack, Iran pulls out of nuclear talks
Around 3:30 a.m. local time on June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented surprise attack against Iran. The surprise attack hit Iranian missile sites, nuclear facilities, military command-and-control centers, and the apartments of military leaders and nuclear scientists.
Israeli air and missile strikes were reported against Tehran, Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility, Tabriz, Kermanshah, and Borujerd. The Israel Defense Forces reported that the attacks, code-named Operation Rising Lion, would take place over several days.
The strikes weren’t only carried out by Israeli aircraft. Mossad and other Israeli intelligence operatives deployed precision weapons near Iranian missile and air defense launchers, striking them to prevent an effective response and establish freedom of movement for Israeli planes. An Israeli official said Mossad built a secret explosive drone base within Iran that was utilized for the strikes.
The IDF said its surgical strikes hit “over 100 targets, including senior figures of the Iranian General Staff and leaders of the nuclear program.”
An Israeli security source told Fox News that over 20 sites, including apartments and offices, were hit in under 15 minutes.
Gen. Hossein Salami, the chief commander of the Guard, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s missile program, senior Guard Cmdr. Gholam Ali Rashid, and Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of Iran’s armed forces, were all killed in the strikes. Several of Iran’s top nuclear scientists were also killed in precise strikes hitting their individual apartments.
The following day, Israel extended operations to target Iranian energy infrastructure.
The operation exceeded Israel’s expectations. The attacks crippled Tehran’s ability to respond effectively, beginning the war with Israel in the lead. Enough ballistic missile launchers were destroyed that Iran’s long-standing plan to overwhelm Jerusalem’s missile defenses was undercut. The largest single barrage Iran could muster throughout the war was just 100 missiles.
On the same day, Iran pulled out of nuclear talks with the United States. Iran was scheduled to enter its sixth round of nuclear talks with the U.S. in Oman on June 15, until Israel launched its attack. Iran promptly canceled the next round of talks despite Trump’s public pleas for Tehran to continue negotiations and reach a deal.
Also that day, the U.S. began repositioning military assets, especially naval assets, in and around the Middle East.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later told NBC News that following Israel’s attack, Tehran was no longer sure whether it could trust the U.S., which did not alert the country to the strikes. He also said the country refuses to give up its uranium enrichment program entirely.
June 14: Iran launches first major retaliation strike against Israel
Iran began its first anticipated retaliation strike in the early morning hours of June 14, launching roughly 100 ballistic missiles at Israel. While most missiles were intercepted, several made it through, hitting downtown Tel Aviv and causing significant damage. Throughout the night, Iran launched roughly 200 missiles in several waves, killing at least two Israelis. The U.S. assisted in intercepting the missile barrages.
Follow-up barrages hit residential areas across Israel, killing 10 Israelis on June 15. Israel responded by stepping up its strikes on ballistic missile and defense infrastructure.
June 16-17: Trump shifts rhetoric with warnings to Iran
When news of Israel’s surprise attack against Iran broke, Trump distanced himself from the operation, lamenting the violence and begging Iran to negotiate a deal before further destruction happened. The Trump administration’s first statements were uncharacteristically neutral, clarifying that the U.S. played no role in the attacks.
After the success of the operation became apparent, Trump began to change his tune. On the night of June 16, he issued a warning for Iran on Truth Social.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” Trump said. “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
The warning to evacuate Tehran was taken as evidence that either the U.S. would carry out its own strikes or that Israel would turn to its “Dahiya doctrine,” stepping up its bombing raids in Tehran to lay waste to the capital. Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early, signaling the urgency of the situation.
The following day, Trump stepped up his rhetoric, taunting Iran with threats that the U.S. could choose to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he said in a June 17 post on Truth Social, referring to Khamenei. “He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The post came after a report that Trump had personally shot down a push from Israel to assassinate Khamenei.
In another post, ostensibly referring to Tehran, the president said, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
Trump also began to blur the lines between the U.S. and Israel increasingly in public statements, highlighting the use of U.S. equipment and boasting, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
June 19: Iranian missile strike hits Israeli hospital, Israel shifts rhetoric
On June 19, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the Soroka Medical Center in the city of Beersheba as part of a wider salvo that heavily damaged other residential high-rise buildings. The strike hit a building in the complex that had been largely evacuated in previous days, injuring 40 people. The strike was met with widespread outrage in Israel, with Defense Minister Israel Katz reviving the possibility of assassinating Khamenei, whom he held personally responsible.
“The objectives of the war are to remove the nuclear threat, eliminate sources of destruction, and neutralize missile threats. Within this framework, the IDF has been instructed and knows that to achieve all the objectives, without question, this man should no longer continue to exist,” Katz said, calling Khamenei a “modern Hitler.”
Israel responded by bombing Iran’s Arak Nuclear Complex, a facility used as a heavy-water nuclear reactor.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog appeared to contradict Katz later that day, saying that Israel is not aiming to eliminate Iran’s supreme leader.
“We don’t have a goal on Khamenei, nor do we have a goal on regime change,” Herzog told the Axel Springer Global Reporters network, per Politico. “But it could be historically a clear side effect of major historical consequences that will do good to the Iranian people.”
June 22: Trump announces strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities
On June 22, Tehran time, after days of tension, Trump announced the U.S. had launched air and missile strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, including B-2 strikes against the underground Fordow fuel enrichment plant using 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the president said in a post on Truth Social announcing the move.
In a brief address, Trump said, “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated” in Operation Midnight Hammer.
The B-2 bombers that carried out the central strike deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, flying nonstop around the world, refueling midair. The stealth bombers evaded detection from Iranian air defenses, dropping 12 bunker-buster bombs on target without being intercepted.
June 23: Iran launches limited retaliation, Trump announces ceasefire
After vowing to retaliate for the U.S. bombing of its nuclear facilities, Iran launched 14 missiles at the U.S.’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23. Tehran provided the U.S. and Qatar with advanced notice, allowing them to get their troops out of harm’s way. Of the 14 missiles, 13 were intercepted, with the final munition allowed to land harmlessly in a desolate area.
Though he had continued stepping up his rhetoric, even flirting with regime change in Tehran, Trump publicly thanked Iran for notifying the U.S. of its response and voiced hope for a halt in hostilities.
“Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
“Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,” Trump continued. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”
He followed through with this hope in a surprise announcement just hours later, declaring that a ceasefire had been reached to end the “12 Day War.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump congratulated Israel and Iran, announcing a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” beginning “approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!” The end of hostilities will begin with a 12-hour ceasefire and, if held, will signal an end to the war, Trump said.
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” Trump concluded.
Speaking with NBC News on the phone, Trump optimistically estimated that the ceasefire would last “forever.”
June 24: Israel and Iran breach ceasefire but halt immediate further attacks after outrage from Trump
Trump’s announcement was immediately met with confusion, especially given a lack of immediate confirmation from Jerusalem and Tehran. Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, fueled doubts of a lasting ceasefire when he issued a puzzling statement denying that a ceasefire had been reached, but he said Iran would cease its attacks against Israel if Jerusalem halted its own. Three minutes after 4 a.m. Tehran time, he announced that Iran was ceasing its operations.
Despite this, Iran fired six salvos totaling 12 missiles before the ceasefire deadline. One missile made it through Israeli air defenses into the city of Beersheba, hitting a residential building and killing several Israeli civilians. The final, sixth salvo may have been launched minutes past the ceasefire deadline, leading Israel to respond.
Trump learned about Israel’s planned response after the Israeli planes had taken off. He quickly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand that he call off the strikes. The two quickly settled on a vast reduction — Israel struck a radar station while calling off its planned wider strikes.
Trump vented his frustrations against Iran and Israel, specifically targeting the latter when speaking to reporters early in the morning. He criticized both countries for violating the terms of the agreement.
“They violated it, but Israel violated it, too,” Trump said, adding, “I’m not happy with Israel.”
IRAN GETS FINAL WORD BEFORE ’12 DAY WAR’ CEASEFIRE WITH DEADLY MISSILE ATTACK ON ISRAEL
“I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. … They didn’t have to unload,” he told reporters at the White House before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague. “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 Trump’s outburst, no further ceasefire violations have taken place.