Explosions heard in Iran hours after ceasefire with Israel: Reports
Tehran: Hours after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced by the U.S. President Donald Trump, loud explosions were reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, shortly after both nations had agreed to halt hostilities and that Tel Aviv would not launch an attack on Iran, reported India Today.
Citing the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), Aljazeera stated that witnesses heard explosions near the northern city of Babolsar, where air defences were reportedly activated.
Israel claimed it carried out a retaliatory strike on an Iranian radar installation in response to Tehran allegedly launching two ballistic missiles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told President Trump that he could not cancel a planned military response, citing Iran’s breach of the ceasefire, according to a report by Axios.
Air raid sirens blared across northern Israel, with Tel Aviv alleging that Iran fired a new wave of missiles in the wake of the ceasefire agreement. In response, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been ordered to "respond forcefully" to what he described as a “clear violation” of the truce.
However, Iran denied the accusation. State media reported that no missiles were fired towards Israel after the ceasefire took effect, dismissing Tel Aviv’s claims as misinformation.
Meanwhile, President Trump expressed frustration over the escalation. In comments reported by Al Jazeera, he criticized both nations for violating the agreement, but stated that he was "really unhappy" with Israel’s actions. He urged the Israeli leadership to halt airstrikes and “bring your pilots home, now.”
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Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
Washington (AP): Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.
Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.
Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had "dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
