UN chief Antonio Guterres welcomes ceasefire between Iran and Israel

New York [US], June 24 (ANI): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel and urged the two countries to respect it.

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In a post on X, Guterres said, "I very much welcome President Trump's announcement of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. I urge the two countries to respect it fully. The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much. It is my sincere hope that this ceasefire can be replicated in the other conflicts in the region."

https://x.com/antonioguterres/status/1937499156966191264

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump expressed strong disapproval of Israel and Iran "violating the ceasefire" he announced earlier in the day and said the two countries have been fighting "so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing."

Trump made posts on his social media handle Truth Social and also conveyed his unhappiness over ceasefire violations in his interaction with the media.

"ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES," he said in a post.

He said Israel is not going to attack Iran and the ceasefire is 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," he said in another post.

Trump had announced earlier that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total ceasefire," a development that came just hours after Tehran targeted American air base in the Middle East.

Despite the agreement, tensions reignited shortly after the announcement. The Times of Israel reported that Iran launched missiles into Israel, killing four people in Beersheba and injuring several others in a strike on a residential building in the southern city.

The conflict had initially broken out on June 13 when Israel launched a large-scale airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear facilities under "Operation Rising Lion." In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched "Operation True Promise 3"--a drone and missile campaign targeting Israeli jet fuel and energy infrastructure.

The escalation continued with US precision airstrikes early Sunday on three key Iranian nuclear facilities under "Operation Midnight Hammer." In response, Iran launched multiple missile attacks on US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, including the Al Udeid Air Base--the largest American base in the region. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)