(our translation from Ansa)
Iran and beyond
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has ‘total control’ of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil trade at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. This is according to the Pasdaran. ‘Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the total control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy,’ said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, a senior IRGC naval official, as reported by the Fars news agency. US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US Navy could escort oil tankers ‘if necessary’ through the strait.
An Israeli air strike hit a four-storey building in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, according to state media reports. The Lebanese state news agency National News Agency (NNA) said that ‘enemy aircraft targeted a four-storey building at dawn’ inside a residential complex in Baalbek, an area under Hezbollah control. The NNA reported ‘numerous martyrs and that work is underway to rescue families from the rubble.’. The Lebanese news agency reports that at least four people were killed and six were injured in the Israeli attack on Baalbek, Al Jazeera writes. The attack took place at dawn and the targeted building was located in the Al Matraba neighbourhood: a large number of people are trapped under the rubble. Al Jazeera published a verified video showing rescuers beginning to inspect the rubble, from which cries for help can be heard. According to X user Fouad Khreiss, who posted the video, there were more than 60 people inside the now completely collapsed building. ‘Anyone with a vehicle or bulldozer to lift the rubble should head to the complex immediately,’ the man urged. According to Lebanese state media, the IDF also struck a hotel in the Hazmieh suburb of Beirut. Lebanese television station Al Mayadeen reports that an Israeli air strike on Aramoun and Saadiyat, in the Mount Lebanon area, killed at least six people. The broadcaster cited the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Al Jazeera reports that eight other people were injured in the attack.
Approximately 50,000 US soldiers in the Middle East have been assigned to the war against Iran, and more troops and combat aircraft are arriving in the region.This was announced on X by the United States Central Command (Centcom). In a five-minute video, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, gave an update on the operation in Iran, calling it “unprecedented”. ‘The first 24 hours of Epic Fury saw twice as many attacks as the 2003 operation in Iraq,‘ said the admiral, adding that the United States ’is sinking the Iranian Navy‘ with 17 ships destroyed so far. The admiral also accused Iran of ’indiscriminately targeting civilians” in its attacks.
