US President Donald Trump said Israel and Iran violated ceasefire terms with attacks following an early Tuesday deadline to cease hostilities.

Trump, in comments to reporters at the White House before departing for the Nato summit at The Hague, expressed disappointment about the continued attacks.

“They violated it but Israel violated it too,” Trump said.

He added, ”I’m not happy with Israel.”

Trump later said Israeli fighter jets will “turn around” and won’t attack Iran as he presses both sides to abide by a ceasefire.

“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly “Plane Wave” to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

His comments came after Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace as the ceasefire was supposed to take effect, and vowed to retaliate.

Iran’s military denied firing on Israel, state media reported – but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel mid-morning, and an Israeli military official said two Iranian missiles were intercepted.

The conflict, now in its 12th day, began with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons.

Iran has long maintained that its programme is peaceful.

Many worried the war might widen after the US joined the attacks by dropping bunker-buster bombs over the weekend and Israel expanded the kinds of targets it was hitting.

But after Tehran launched a limited retaliatory strike on a US military base in Qatar on Monday, Trump announced a ceasefire.

Both sides accepted the agreement, but it is now unclear if it will hold.

“Tehran will tremble,” Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich warned on X, raising the spectre that the war might continue.

Israel accuses Iran of violating the truce. Iran denies that.

An Israeli military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations said Iran launched two missiles at Israel hours into the tenuous ceasefire. Both were intercepted, the official said.

Iranian state television reported that the military denied firing missiles after the start of the ceasefire, while accusing Israel of conducting strikes. (AP)
_____________________________
Last updated: 2025-06-24 HKT 19:59