The surprise ceasefire that emerged Monday to end 12 days of war between Israel and Iran is off to a shaky start. Israel accused Iran of violating the truce and ordered new strikes, though Iran denied the allegations, reports Reuters. President Trump, meanwhile, said both sides violated the pact and griped to reporters as he prepared to leave DC for the NATO summit in the Netherlands. Iran "violated it, but Israel violated it too," Trump said, per the AP. "I'm not happy with Israel."
The coming hours could determine whether the pact will truly hold, and the stakes are huge. If it succeeds, the ceasefire "could usher in a fundamentally new era for the Middle East, its security and its dominant powers," per Axios. Iran, it adds, is at its weakest point since the 1980s. Details:
- The AP reports that explosions were heard in northern Israel Tuesday morning, and Israel said it shot down two missiles fired by Iran hours after the truce took effect. Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered his military to resume "the intense operations to attack Tehran and to destroy targets of the regime and terror infrastructure."
- Iran's state broadcaster said on its Telegram channel that the reports it launched missiles at Israel were false, per the Washington Post.
- All of which means the fate of the truce "hung in the balance," in the words of the New York Times. The newspaper suggests Trump is hoping to take "a victory lap" at the NATO summit opening Tuesday at the Hague.
- Dow futures were up about 300 points, with investors hoping for an end to hostilities, per CNBC. Oil futures were similarly down about 3% as fears eased of a disruption in supplies.
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