Israel reopened its airspace Tuesday morning after temporarily closing it due to intense missile barrages from Iran overnight, the Israel Airports Authority confirmed. This move came just hours after a ceasefire agreement was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, bringing an end to nearly two weeks of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.
The closure of Israeli airspace was a direct response to multiple waves of Iranian missile attacks that occurred in the final hours leading up to the ceasefire. While damage assessments are ongoing, the return to normal air operations signals a tentative calm following a highly volatile period in the region.
In its first official statement on the ceasefire, the Israeli government hailed what it described as a “tremendous success” against Iran. Issued on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, the statement claimed Israel had not only met but exceeded its strategic objectives.
“Israel has eliminated an immediate and dual existential threat — both in the nuclear domain and in the realm of ballistic missiles,” the statement read. It further asserted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had achieved “full aerial control over Tehran’s skies,” delivered major blows to Iran’s military leadership, and destroyed several key regime targets.
The government also expressed gratitude to President Trump and the United States for their “military support in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat,” but warned that “Israel will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, attention is rapidly shifting to the unresolved conflict in Gaza. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a prominent Israeli civil group advocating for the return of captives held by Hamas, issued an urgent appeal Tuesday. They called on the Israeli government to leverage the current diplomatic momentum to include Gaza in the ceasefire framework.
“Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,” the group stated, urging the administration to enter immediate negotiations to secure the release of 50 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
“After 12 days and nights during which the people of Israel could not sleep because of Iran, we can finally go back to not sleeping because of the hostages,” the forum said, pressing the government to act during what they termed a “critical window of opportunity.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed these sentiments in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), writing: “And now Gaza. This is the moment to close that front as well. To bring the hostages home, to end the war. Israel needs to start rebuilding.”
The ceasefire with Iran, brokered amid global concerns of broader regional conflict, has now opened a complex political chapter in Israel. While military objectives against Iran may have been fulfilled, public and political pressure is intensifying to turn the page on the war in Gaza — a war that continues to affect daily life and the national psyche.
With the airspace now reopened and missiles silenced — at least for now — the focus turns to whether peace efforts will expand, or whether a new front of instability will take center stage once again.