US President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran fires at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after the Houthis again threatened to close the Bab al-Mandeb. According to Tasnim, Tehran will respond to US attacks by targeting infrastructure in the region.
Seven oil tankers have altered their route in the Red Sea to avoid the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following the Houthis’ threat to block Saudi oil exports. The Houthis are warning shipping companies that their oil tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports following the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi vessels in response to the kingdom’s blockade of Yemen.
Iran has strengthened its armed forces, anticipating that its adversaries would violate agreements, said Army Chief General Amir Hatami. Iranian media also quoted Hassan Qashqavi, spokesman for the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, as saying Trump is in a “quagmire.”
An Iranian Health Ministry official said 53 civilians have been killed and 592 wounded since the end of last month; the U.S. military has stated it never targets civilians.
The war has claimed the lives of 18 U.S. service members and wounded more than 450. On Wednesday, Trump attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to commemorate four U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks on military bases in recent days: three in Jordan and one in Iraq.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the number of wounded American soldiers has far exceeded 500. The Pentagon said on Monday that 100 service members have been injured since July 7, and that 96 percent of them have returned to duty.
On the eleventh consecutive night of U.S. bombing of Iran, residents of Tehran reported explosions. In the early hours of Wednesday, the United States intercepted airstrikes launched by air defenses activated over the capital, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
Three locations in Iran’s Bushehr province, home to the country’s only nuclear power plant, were hit, an official told Iran’s state news agency IRNA, including a power station near the plant. Iranian media also claimed that the United States targeted locations in Kabudarahang County, central Hamadan Province, without providing further details.
The Iranian military said it struck housing and storage facilities at the US Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan, warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, and Camp Doha in Kuwait. Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain all said they intercepted Iranian attacks.
In Lebanon, LBC reports, as the first phase of the pilot zone plan begins, which calls for the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the Zawtar el-Gharbiyeh area in southern Lebanon, Israel has revealed a new military tactic previously used in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank: “roof knocking.” According to IDF reservists deployed in Lebanon, the tactic involves orders to launch small missiles at the roofs of targeted buildings or homes, thus giving residents time to evacuate.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the postponement of this week’s summit between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. The postponement came amid reports that Washington is seeking to exert further pressure on Tel Aviv to accelerate its withdrawal from Lebanon and halt drone flights and gunfire in areas where the Lebanese Army is deployed.
Newly elected Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya outlined the priorities for the Palestinian resistance group. In his first speech since taking office on Wednesday, Hayya urged the countries mediating the ceasefire negotiations to pressure the Israeli government to implement existing agreements and move to the next stage of the process. Hamas’s second priority is to restore “dignified living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, thwart displacement plans, accelerate reconstruction efforts and secure the release of prisoners.” The third priority is to achieve Palestinian unity by initiating a Immediate national dialogue to rebuild Palestinian institutions, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), on what she called democratic and consensual foundations. Hayya finally stated that the fourth priority is to strengthen Hamas’s relations with Arab and Muslim countries.
Let’s take a quick look at the fronts on Wednesday, July 22. Israeli forces used artillery, drone strikes, firefights, and demolition operations in Gaza City, the central governorate, and Khan Younis, amid warnings from the Palestinian authorities that intensified Israeli military activity threatens to further destabilize the fragile ceasefire framework.
In Gaza City, Israeli tanks and artillery intensified attacks in the Zeitoun neighborhood, firing live ammunition and shells around the Salahuddin Mosque and the Doula intersection, while armored vehicles advanced toward the Abu Marahil and Dawla areas.
Israeli forces also conducted demolition operations east of the city and continued firing toward the Tuffah neighborhood.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli drones repeatedly struck tents housing displaced families in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Eyewitnesses reported intense activity by reconnaissance aircraft and quadcopter drones over Al-Mawasi and eastern Khan Younis.
In Gaza, the Israeli army is reportedly rapidly constructing a massive barrier separating the portion of the Gaza Strip under its control from the rest of the enclave. Over 23 kilometers of it have been built in recent months. Israel currently controls just over 50% of the territory.
In Lebanon, three villages in the south of the country will be the first to implement the framework agreement brokered by Israel, Lebanon, and the United States. Under the agreement, the Israeli military will withdraw from occupied areas in southern Lebanon to allow the Lebanese army to assume control and supervise the disarmament of Hezbollah.
For operations against Iran, the Pentagon is relying heavily on fighter crews based in Europe. Only three fighter wings are permanently assigned to the US Air Force in Europe, and all three have been deployed to deploy combat aircraft to the region in the past week.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it struck two air bases in Jordan used by US forces, alleging that its missile and drone strikes caused deaths and injuries among American soldiers.
According to IRNA, the IRGC said the first phase of the operation targeted Prince Hassan Air Base and King Faisal Air Base in Jordan.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have struck an F-15 preparation hangar, destroyed eight new MQ-9 drones in a preparation hangar before they became operational, and inflicted significant damage to two other drones.
They also said a subsequent attack severely damaged two US heavy helicopters in a storage hangar.
The IRGC also stated that an attack on a facility housing US personnel resulted in deaths and injuries among American soldiers. No precise figures were provided, and the United States has not yet commented on the Iranian accusation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the operation was dedicated to the victims of the shocking US attack on a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, where funeral ceremonies were held on Wednesday for the dozens of children killed in the attack. The school attack made headlines around the world and sparked strong condemnation.
According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, funeral ceremonies were held Wednesday for the remains of 32 girls, among the 168 children killed in the school attack on February 28, the day the US and Israel began their war. The agency said the bodies were identified through DNA tests before being returned to their families.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Jordanian army said it had intercepted four of the six Iranian missiles fired toward the kingdom, while two others had fallen in remote, uninhabited areas without causing casualties or damage. In a separate statement, the army said that Air Force aircraft also intercepted and shot down four drones launched by Iran toward the kingdom, adding that the operation caused no casualties or material damage.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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