Israel stalled by Trump's warning…Limited retaliation amid ceasefire violation disputes

Israel complying with U.S. escalation restraint (Source: Foreign Policy)

As the truce between Israel and Iran has taken effect, tensions are escalating again as both sides accuse each other of violating the truce. In particular, Israel claimed Iran launched missiles even after the truce and announced a strong response, but after public warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, it showed signs of lowering its response level.

According to the Israeli military, around 10:30 a.m. local time on the 24th, about three and a half hours after the truce took effect, two missiles were launched from Iran toward northern Israel and were intercepted in the air. In the Galilee region, fragments of the intercepted missiles fell and air raid alerts and explosions were detected. Israel considered this a clear truce violation and announced its intention to strike regime facilities in central Tehran.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “Iran’s attack completely violated the truce,” and announced that he had directed the Israeli military to respond with strong military action against the Iranian regime. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir also warned that military responses would continue.

However, Iran immediately countered. The Iranian military claimed no missiles were launched, and the semi-official news agency ISNA also reported that the attack on Israel was unfounded.

As tensions escalated again, President Trump publicly criticized Israel and called for restraint. Meeting with reporters at the White House, he expressed strong dissatisfaction stating, “I don’t like Israel,” and on his social media platform Truth Social, he wrote, “Israel, don’t drop those bombs. If you do, it's a major violation. Get the pilots back, now!”

Eventually, Israel concluded its response by conducting a limited attack targeting a military radar in northern Tehran. The U.S. political media Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a call with President Trump, attacked only one symbolic target and withdrew other plans.

President Trump, as of midnight (U.S. Eastern Time), specified conditions that Iran had to stop attacks, Israel would cease attacks after 12 hours, and 12 hours later the war would be considered over. Later, at 1:10 a.m., he posted the message, “The truce is now in effect. Do not violate it!” and both Iran and Israel accepted the truce sequentially.

The Middle East situation, which was on the verge of full-scale conflict, has entered a period of de-escalation due to President Trump's strong message and Israel’s cautious response, but there is still an assessment that it holds the potential to reignite at any moment.