Middle East

US officials say targets struck on Iran’s Kharg Island included bunkers, a radar station and ammunition depots. Trump: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

With about a day left before the deadline expires, the US president held a marathon of calls with regional leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the center of the talks was the possibility of a significant escalation in the fighting against the Iranian regime.

Tehran insists on a permanent end to hostilities, war reparations, sanctions relief, and international recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz – as Trump warns of strikes on power plants and bridges.

With roughly 36 hours left on his self-imposed deadline, Trump has threatened to strike power stations and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened – and Gulf states are watching in dread, fearing their critical desalination plants could be next.

Islamabad's army chief held overnight contacts with the US vice president and Iran's foreign minister; the proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's commitment to renounce nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

Majid Khadami – successor to the commander Israel eliminated during Operation Rising Lion – was killed in a strike on a Revolutionary Guard headquarters, Iranian state media reported.

Frenzied mediation efforts by Egypt and Oman to secure a short ceasefire have failed after Tehran gave no response. In Washington, officials are demanding the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with no conditions. President Donald Trump has approved operational plans, and officials in Jerusalem and Washington are preparing for the next stage of the campaign.

The president sent an unusually blunt message to the Islamic Republic's leadership and closed his post with "praise be to Allah" – Netanyahu responded: "I salute you. We all do."

A source from western Syria tells Israel Hayom that al-Sharaa's men – many of them mercenaries – are selling weapons to Hezbollah on the black market, while the government plays both sides.

In a complex military operation and amid fighting with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US forces succeeded in locating and rescuing the Air Force crew member who ejected over Iranian territory.