U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative after an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal.
However, Iranian state television reported that the country's military denied Tuesday that it fired missiles.
A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels.
The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen.
This comes as Ottawa has started offering buses to Canadians looking to leave Israel and the West Bank, along with those who manage to flee Iran.
In a Monday afternoon media briefing, Global Affairs Canada said 6,000 Canadians have registered in Israel using the department's database, while slightly more than 400 have registered in the West Bank and around 5,500 have registered in Iran.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Pool, Carlos Barria
