File image of the Strait of Hormuz
EA on International Outlets: Trump’s Indecision on Iran Deal
US-Israel Wars, Day 96: Trump’s Confusion from Iran to Lebanon
UPDATE 0625 GMT:
Kuwait has suspended commercial flights after Iranian drones attacked the Kuwait International Airport, severely damaging the passenger terminal and injuring “a number of individuals”.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Amid stalled negotiations for an end to the US-Israel Wars, the Trump camp and Iran have renewed strikes on each other.
Meanwhile, Israel has pushed away Donald Trump’s unilateral proclamation of a ceasefire through continued attacks across southern Lebanon.
US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable Botswana-flagged unladen tanker M/T Lexie, as it tried to break the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The vessel was near Kuwait and moving toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main hub for maritime oil exports, in the Persian Gulf. The US said the crew ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they retaliated with missile fire on the Liberian-flagged container ship Panaya.
The Americans then attacked sites, including a military ground control station, on Iran’s Qeshm Island.
Soon after the interception of the tanker, Kuwait reported interception of missiles and drones. US Central Command said two Iranian missiles “fell short or broke apart en route”, and another three were intercepted. It later said it defended against a wave of drones targeting US forces, with no harm to personnel.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed that they attacked the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones in response to the strike on Qeshm. CENTCOM denied the assertion.
US forces also said they shot down three one-way attack drones “launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters”, providing no further details.
Israel’s Assault on Lebanon
On the Lebanon front, more than 30 Israeli strikes were reported. Rescuers recovered the bodies of six members of the same family, including two children and a woman, near the city of Sidon.
Six people were killed in two Israeli drone attacks on the al-Hawsh area in the Tyre district. A paramedic was slain in the al-Ain neighbourhood. The Lebanese Health Ministry said five people were killed and 48 wounded, including a doctor and health workers at Tebnine Hospital, in the Bint Jbeil area.
The Israeli military also issued a new evacuation warning for Nabatiyeh, as it threatens to move into the city.
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz reworked Trump’s announcement on Monday of a ceasefire between the Israelis and Hezbollah. He said Trump is now backing Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s capital Beirut in response to any firing of rockets by Hezbollah into northern Israel.
Katz hailed the Israeli military’s warnings for Lebanese civilians to flee their homes, saying it has led to “the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents – 600,000 out of 950,000 by last night”.
