TLDR Iran SITREP

The US launched a fifth day of strikes on Iranian military targets and reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while the IRGC seized at least two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened regional oil routes. Iran reported seven soldiers killed in a US missile strike on an army base in Bampur. US, Israeli, and Lebanese officials agreed to move to expanded technical talks on a Lebanon framework, as Israeli artillery and airstrikes continued in southern Lebanon. In Gaza, the IDF eliminated a Hamas terrorist involved in the October 7 abduction of three soldiers and killed two Nukhba commanders in the north.

Funeral ceremonies for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued in Tehran for a second day, with massive crowds and chants of 'Death to America, Death to Israel.' An Iranian diplomat said Iran will 'definitely' collect transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, defying US demands. The IDF killed an armed Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon after a manhunt. Satellite images revealed construction near Iran's Natanz nuclear site, in an apparent violation of a US-Iran MOU.

An Israeli drone strike killed three people in southern Lebanon as US-mediated talks in Washington hit an impasse over Israel's refusal to withdraw from a security buffer zone. The IRGC Quds Force commander warned Israel to leave Lebanon or face defeat, while Prime Minister Netanyahu was relocated to a secure location per Israeli media. In Gaza, a planned anti-Hamas protest signals growing internal dissent.

President Trump warned Iran that he will do 'what I have to do' to prevent a nuclear weapon if Tehran does not abide by the emerging deal, while Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to maintain Israel's security zone in southern Lebanon ahead of direct Jerusalem-Beirut talks in Washington. Iran's top negotiator insisted the Strait of Hormuz will be managed by Tehran, and the Pentagon is seeking $80 billion from Congress for Iran war funding. The IDF confirmed killing an Oct. 7 Nukhba terrorist in a recent Gaza strike, and a Jewish man was critically wounded in a shooting in Montreal.

President Trump suspended Project Freedom naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia denied US access to its airspace and bases, while the IDF struck Beirut’s Dahieh suburb targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and a Hezbollah drone seriously wounded an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon. Israel-Lebanon talks are set to resume in Washington, and France moved its aircraft carrier to the Red Sea for a potential Hormuz mission.