The President at 6:02 ET on Monday took to Truth Social to announce a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” apparently ending what was fast becoming known as the 12-Day War.
Then, just before the start of the truce, an Iranian missile broke through Israel’s air defense systems killing four as it struck a residential building in Beersheba, The Times of Israel reported.
Twenty-two others were injured as Iran fired six missiles in quick succession.
The ceasefire was to begin at 7 a.m. local time in Israel.
Missiles repeatedly targeted the country’s center, north and south, starting shortly after 5 a.m., setting off sirens and sending millions of Israelis to bomb shelters.
Two missiles were fired at Beersheba in a salvo at 5:40 a.m., with one being intercepted and another striking the sixth floor of an apartment complex in the southern city, causing extensive destruction, including collapsing part of the building, The Times of Israel reported.
A phone call from Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost certainly saved Iranian lives.
Defense Minister Israel Katz had ordered a response strike to the "heart of Tehran," but that response was changed to strike an Iranian radar facility north of Tehran after Trump and Netanyahu spoke, The Times of Israel reported.
Trump, while traveling to The Hague, Netherlands to attend a NATO summit, said the ceasefire remains in effect.
“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote.
Minutes before that message, Trump had showed frustration and a rare lack of composure in public over both countries lobbing missiles at each other. Speaking to reporters, he dropped an expletive and complained he was dealing with two countries, Iran and Israel, that have been fighting for so long they don’t know what they’re doing.
A weakened Iranian homefront
The sustained and successful bombings of Iran by Israel, then the massive B-2 attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the United States, need to be considered in context, Scott Uehlinger, a former CIA officer, said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
“It’s not surprising to me that Iran had that strike. We need to remember, the command and control of the ballistic missile force of Iran has got to be in absolute disarray,” he told show host Jenna Ellis.
The absence of key leadership and destruction of infrastructure could severely impact communication capabilities.
Then there’s the real chance of rogue elements in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“So, somebody maybe didn't get the word, or somebody independently decided to launch. This is the kind of thing that we're looking at when we're talking about a regime that, at least I hope, is about one foot in the grave,” Uehlinger said.
Iran has a history of using diplomacy as a delay tactic to extend military – or in this case nuclear – ambitions, Uehlinger said.
“That’s just what they do. It’s who they are,” he said.
With that scouting report in mind, Trump authorized strikes on the nuclear sites before the two-week deadline was up, Uehlinger said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt last Thursday said, “based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
In some interpretations, the word “within” was overlooked by many but it was, in reality, a clever phrase to cover a military operation that was in the works.
It was savvy handling of a sticky situation, Uehlinger said, because it showed Trump’s grip on Iranian reality.
“The problem is that you're dealing with a regime that is, by nature, composed entirely of lies, and so they're not going to necessarily go along with what you want 100% of the time. There are going to be mistakes along the way, maybe independent Iranian missile launcher guys who decide that they're going to lob one more missile at Israel,” Uehlinger said.
Who’s calling the shots for Iran?
It’s also hard to read Iran right now because its weakened state leaves a country “composed entirely of lies” further ripe for rumor and misinformation.
There were rumors that the Ayatollah's son, who was supposed to be the next supreme leader, is dead.
“So, how much is the Supreme Leader running the government (if) at all? Is it just being run by some IRGC diehards? Is it being run by the, quote, more moderate Iranians, which is something I've always been skeptical of?” Uehlinger said.
Ultimately, Uehlinger believes there will be some level of paused hostilities.
“I think the ceasefire will eventually settle down and be enforced, and both sides will follow it, but I think that’s just going to take a little bit of time.”
