- Israel said it will respond forcefully to Iran's ceasefire violation
- Iran denied launching new missiles towards Israel after the ceasefire was announced
- Israel observed a test ceasefire until 7 pm local time to monitor Iran's response
Israel on Tuesday said it will "respond forcefully" to Iran's ceasefire violation after Tehran launched a fresh barrage of missiles on the Jewish state hours after both warning enemies agreed to US President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal. Iran, meanwhile, denied launching new missiles towards Israel and said it remains "on high alert" to respond to "any act of aggression".
"I instructed the Israeli army to respond forcefully to Iran's violation of the ceasefire by launching powerful strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced a phased 24-hour ceasefire process, to which Israel agreed. Iran had not formally accepted a ceasefire earlier, but after the latest strikes, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran issued a statement accepting the agreement.
"Test Ceasefire"
Israeli media reports also said that a test ceasefire was in effect from Israel's side till 7 pm local time. During this period, the Jewish state would not conduct any military operation and would watch Tehran's response.
If Tehran maintained the truce deal till 7 pm, Israel would announce a longer ceasefire, reports said.
Iran's Denial
Iranian state media said that Tehran has denied launching a missile towards Israel after the ceasefire was announced. The general staff of the Iranian army "denied the launch of missiles from Iran to the occupied territories (Israel) in the last few hours", state television reported.
The Supreme National Security Council of Iran also issued a statement saying the Islamic republic's forces had "compelled" Israel to "unilaterally" cease fire, adding that they remained "on high alert" to respond to "any act of aggression".
Referring to a "divine gift", Iran's top security body said Tehran's actions against Jerusalem led to "victory and triumph that compelled the enemy to regret, accept defeat, and unilaterally halt its aggression".
Iran's forces "remain on high alert, with fingers on the trigger, ready to deliver a decisive and regret-inducing response to any act of aggression," it added.
