Netanyahu Accepts Ceasefire—After Iran’s Missiles Leave a Mark

According to Saed News, Israel’s government has formally accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by the United States, bringing a tentative end to 12 days of military escalation with Iran. The decision, announced in a cabinet communiqué, followed a high-level late-night meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the participation of the defence minister, chief of staff and Mossad’s director.

The statement frames the ceasefire not as a concession, but as a conclusion: according to the Israeli cabinet, all strategic objectives have been achieved, including the neutralisation of what it called a “dual existential threat”—referring to Iran’s ballistic missile systems and its nuclear capabilities.

That claim, however, was issued under the shadow of fresh destruction. Just hours before the ceasefire announcement, Iran launched six coordinated missile strikes into Israeli territory. One missile hit a residential building in Be’er Sheva, killing at least eight and injuring more than 30. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps quickly published an image of the strike site with a simple message: “We delivered the final blow.”

The timing was awkward. Earlier that same morning, former U.S. President Donald Trump—via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social—declared a ceasefire in effect from 7:00 a.m. local time. “Please do not violate it,” he added, in characteristic fashion. The continued missile strikes suggest that either Tehran did not recognise the arrangement or that its own strategic messaging required a last word.

While the ceasefire may de-escalate the current flare-up, its durability is far from guaranteed. Both sides will likely use the coming days to recalibrate. For Israel, the campaign offered a domestic narrative of strength and retaliatory success. For Iran, it was a demonstration of precision and reach. Neither side appears fundamentally deterred, nor diplomatically inclined.

Whether this truce holds—or dissolves into another cycle of calibrated aggression—will depend not on formal declarations, but on how each side interprets its relative gains. For now, the missiles are quiet. But the next round, as ever in the Middle East, may already be in motion.