Keystone-SDA
A fragile ceasefire entered into force on Tuesday between Iran and Israel, after 12 days of war and American air strikes which have crossed the nuclear installations of the Islamic Republic.
(Keystone-ATS) US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire was “now in force,” after accused the two countries, mainly Israel, of having violated him and asking his ally of “not letting go” new bombs on Iran.
The two countries said they “retaliated” to any violation of the truce. In Israel, no alert has however been reported since 07:45 am and Iran, the army has reportedly reported Israeli attacks at 05:30 am.
Israel announced on Tuesday morning that it had accepted the American proposal to ceasefire and claimed that “all the objectives” of the war, triggered in order to neutralize the Iranian nuclear program, had been achieved.
Tehran, shouting “victory”, said he forced his enemy to “unilaterally cease” war and warned that Iran remained “on alert”.
Israel launched a massive air attack on Iran on June 13, accused of wanting to have the atomic weapon. Tehran, who denies and defends his right to develop a civil nuclear program, retaliated by multiplying the missile and drone shots in Israel.
New sirens
Tuesday morning, the sirens once again resounded in northern Israel. Tehran denied having shot missiles after the cease-fire announcement when an Israeli military source told AFP that two missiles had been intercepted.
Israel will “strengthly retaliate the cease-fire violation by Iran,” said his Minister of Defense Israel Katz. But Israel later said that she had “held” to strike Iran after a discussion between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iranian media reported explosions in northern Iran on Tuesday afternoon, the origin of which was not clear.
During the night, Donald Trump announced that the two countries had accepted a “complete and total” ceasefire which was to lead to “the official end” of the conflict.
Qatar, for its part, said it “persuaded Iran” to accept a cease-fire and exhorted Washington and Tehran to take back their talks on nuclear, interrupted by war.
Calls to respect the truce have multiplied around the world. Paris and Berlin, like the Israeli opposition, also called at the end of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, in parallel with the ceasefire with Iran.
“Everyone is tired”
Before the announcement of the ceasefire, four people, according to help, were killed in Beersheva, southern Israel, by an Iranian missile shot which destroyed a building.
Tammy Shel, a resident of Tel Aviv, said putting all her hopes in a cease-fire. “I really hope. Everyone is tired. We just want to have a peaceful mind. For us, for the Iranians, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region, “she told AFP.
In northern Iran, a shot left nine dead and destroyed four buildings, according to the Fars agency, there too before the start of the ceasefire.
A nuclear scientist was also killed by an Israeli strike, according to a state media.
During the night, a series of explosions had rocked Tehran, according to AFP journalists, among the most violent in the capital since the start of the war.
In Iran, the war left at least 610 people dead and more than 4,700 injured, according to an official assessment which only lists civilian victims. Iranian shots on Israel left 28 people dead, according to the authorities.
Since June 13, Israel has bombed hundreds of Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing the highest officers in the country as well as nuclear scientists.
“Calibrated” reprisals
Donald Trump had called the two countries on Monday to “peace”, after Iran launched missiles at the American military base in Al-Udeid in Qatar, the most important in the Middle East, in retaliation for the American raids led the day before on three Iranian nuclear sites.
He described this response as “very weak” and wanted to “thank Iran” for having “warned” the United States “in time, which made it possible not to lose lives and not hurt anyone”.
The Iranian National Security Council described its attack as an “response to aggressive action” in the United States, adding that Iran had used as many missiles “as the number of bombs” used in American raids.
Donald Trump prevailed on Sunday for having inflicted “monumental damage” on the three main Iranian nuclear sites, Fordo, Natanz and Ispahan.
For Ali Vaez, of the International Crisis Group reflection group, Iranian reprisals “were calibrated and announced so as not to lead to American victims, allowing a crisis out of the two parties”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA) has considered it impossible at this stage to assess the damage inflicted on Iranian sites, from which it has requested access.
Experts believe that Iran may have evacuated nuclear equipment from affected sites and Tehran has always affirmed to have enriched uranium stocks.
However, the IAEA said it had not detected any index of a “systematic program” for the manufacture of an atomic bomb.
