Settlements

President Trump announced that the US will strike Iran “very hard” tonight and stated an intention to seize Kharg Island in the future, even as US-Iran negotiations continue. The IDF expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon, achieving operational control of Wadi Saluki and preparing an offensive toward Nabatieh. In the West Bank, two IDF soldiers were wounded by an IED in Jenin, where Israel is establishing its first permanent military post in Area A. The Israeli cabinet is set to approve funding for 61 new settlements.

An armed infiltrator in Hezbollah uniform was shot dead by IDF troops after crossing the Lebanon border near Ramim Ridge and opening fire. Israel issued a sweeping evacuation warning for the city of Tyre, including the Christian quarter for the first time, and carried out strikes that killed at least eight. A US Army Apache helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz; both pilots were rescued. Six countries announced new sanctions targeting Israeli settler networks in the West Bank, and France banned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.