Despite last night's big news of a Trump-declared ceasefire, the reality is it was little more than an effort at a pause, and it's increasingly looking like neither side actually signed onto. Or at least each side issued 'confirmation' with a lot of conditions, and there wasn't even firm agreement on the start time.
As the US- and Qatar-brokered ceasefire deadline closed in, Israel and Iran kept exchanging lethal blows overnight, with Israel hitting various targets in Iran, killing nine people in northern Iran and reportedly assassinating yet another nuclear scientist, while Iran killed at least four Israelis in a devastating hit on an apartment tower. At eight minutes after midnight in Washington, President Trump used his Truth Social account to announce the ceasefire was in effect, and to urge continued compliance.
But as of Tuesday morning, Trump's message is one of extreme frustration. His fiery statement to the press just moments before boarding Marine One included the declaration, "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*ck they're doing. You understand that." Watch the comments below:
The warring sides have not heeded Trump's call to immediately halt, and at the very moment the US president has been issuing desperate messages and warnings, explosions are still being observed in Israel and Iran.
Just after the president addressed the press, Israel's Channel 12 said IDF warplanes have launched another round of strikes against Tehran. This also just as Trump issued a new Truth Social post demanding that Israel not attack Iran. "All planes will turn around and head home," he wrote, almost as a directive, so that "Nobody will be hurt" as "the Ceasefire is in effect!"
A big question remains whether he's bringing real leverage to bear against Israel, or if the latest 'objections' are more just show to provide political cover for himself for the negative fallout as war persists. But his current deeply frustrated tone is a reminder of the failures to achieve peace in Ukraine, and the past Ukraine-Russia related statements to just 'let them fight it out' of the last months.
Axios' Barak Ravid offers up an explanation (per machine translation):
Israeli official: Trump called Netanyahu and asked him not to attack Iran at all. Netanyahu told Trump that he could not cancel the attack and that some kind of response was needed to Iran's violation of the ceasefire. Ultimately, it was decided to significantly scale down the attack and cancel the attack on a large number of targets
Times of Israel has also freshly commented on the obvious miscommunication and apparent growing rift among allies concerning plans for the Iran conflict, and whether to halt the fighting of keep up the attacks:
Trump was sending out posts on his Truth Social platform promising that Israel will not strike Iran “after he knew we would attack,” an Israeli official tells the Kan public broadcast.
Israeli officials confirmed that the IAF struck an Iranian radar site north of Tehran, after Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Israel after a ceasefire had taken effect.
But it's still possible, amid the finger-pointing, that ceasefire could take effect Tuesday, though it's anyone's guess precisely when.
In the overnight hours there was this large Israeli attack on Tehran even after ceasefire was announced to the world:
It may in the end have little substantive to make it stick, and might prove merely a pause or temporary respite for both sides to assess damage and regroup. Here's how we got here, via Newsquawk:
Iran's overnight missile strike on a residential home in Be’er Sheba resulted in some shocking scenes of people seeking to get out and survive the nightmarish ordeal:
Aftermath and rescue efforts of the hit on the Beersheba residential building:
Israel is now feeling the drive for vengeance for this and other devastating blows from the Islamic Republic, despite Trump in this rare moment expressing that he's "really unhappy" with Israel. "Bring your pilots home, now!" - is the message not being heeded.