Tel Aviv and Tehran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire after 12 days of hostilities that saw Israel and its ally, the United States, attack Iran and face Iranian retaliation.

United States President Donald Trump first made the announcement on social media, saying that Iran and Israel had agreed to a “complete and total” ceasefire.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi initially said that there had been no agreement on a ceasefire. However, he added minutes later that the Iranian military operation “continued until the very last minute”, till 4 am local time.

Iranian state-run Press TV channel said at 7.49 am local time that the ceasefire had taken effect.

Later on Tuesday morning, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the country had agreed to a proposal by the US for a ceasefire with Iran, The Times of Israel reported.

However, the prime minister’s office said that Israel will “respond forcefully” to any violations of the agreement.

Israel claimed that during the conflict with Iran, it achieved its objectives “and much more”, The Times of Israel reported.

Netanyahu’s office said that Israel “removed a dual immediate existential threat – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields”.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched toward Israel from Iran, and that its defensive systems were activated, CNN reported. The Israel Defense Forces...

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