Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from the ruins of a two-week confrontation with Iran to declare “victory” and confirm a ceasefire, ending the most acute phase of hostilities that saw the region teeter on the edge of full-scale war. According to Netanyahu’s office, Israel has accepted a US-brokered ceasefire deal, a move confirmed by multiple outlets and reluctantly echoed by his government’s rivals and allies alike Reuters.
For Netanyahu, the cessation of missile fire from Tehran is not merely a pause, but a narrative opportunity. As the prime minister stood before the cameras and a shellshocked public, he insisted that Israel had “removed an existential threat” and “met all its objectives” in the campaign—a message beamed to both Israeli citizens and a restive, skeptical international audience.
Yet behind the triumphant language, the realities on the ground remain sharply contested. While Netanyahu’s coalition credited decisive Israeli military action for forcing Iran to the table, US President Donald Trump was quick to take a bow, announcing his personal role in brokering the ceasefire. The war, as reported by the Washington Post, may have ended with “a handshake and a grimace,” but it has left a legacy of devastation and an emboldened right wing in both Jerusalem and Washington.
Netanyahu wasted little time using the moment to restate Israel’s absolute red lines: “We will thwart any attempt by Iran to rebuild its nuclear program,” he vowed, promising that Israel’s campaign against the “axis of evil” was ongoing. In a performance that fused wartime rhetoric with campaign messaging, Netanyahu assured his base that “Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than President Trump” WION, making clear that the alliance between the two leaders remains as transactional—and theatrical—as ever.
While the guns have momentarily fallen silent, the political fallout is only beginning. The ceasefire arrives amid mounting scrutiny of Netanyahu’s domestic leadership, including demands from opposition figures for a full accounting of civilian casualties, intelligence failures, and Israel’s endgame in Gaza. The Telegraph points out that Netanyahu, ever the political survivor, may yet leverage the crisis to entrench his grip on power, as calls for early elections circulate among a public exhausted by endless conflict.
International observers warn that the “historic victory” narrative obscures a deeper instability. Iran, despite agreeing to halt direct attacks, has vowed to continue supporting its proxies across the region, and Israeli defense officials acknowledge that any resurgence of Iran’s nuclear program will almost certainly trigger a renewed confrontation.
As of June 24th, the battle for regional supremacy is officially on pause. But with both Netanyahu and Trump eager to claim sole authorship of “peace,” the world is left to wonder if today’s ceasefire is a genuine end—or simply another act in a conflict where narratives, as ever, remain more durable than truces.