Israeli forces have launched targeted ground maneuvers in southern Lebanon, while simultaneous strikes in Tehran eliminated key Iranian figures and infrastructure, prompting retaliatory Iranian missile barrages across Israel and the Gulf.
IDF Expands Ground Operations in Lebanon
According to mainstream Israeli journalist
עמית סגל, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the IDF has begun a ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, declaring that Shiite residents will not return
"until the safety of the residents of the North is guaranteed". Katz stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he directed the military to destroy terrorist infrastructure in border villages
"exactly as was done against Hamas in Gaza in the areas of Rafah, Beit Hanoun, etc.". Conversely, Hezbollah views the conflict as an existential battle, with one of its commanders issuing a stark warning to the Lebanese government. According to the
אפוק - מגזין | חדשות | פרשנויות - Epoch channel, the commander threatened to overthrow the state if it negotiates with Israel, comparing the current Lebanese government to the
"Vichy government" and warning that "traitors will be executed".
Decapitation of Iranian Leadership and Infrastructure
As part of the ongoing "Operation Lion's Roar," Israeli and US forces continue to dismantle the Iranian regime. The IDF formally announced the
targeted destruction of the airplane of Iran's Supreme Leader at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, neutralizing a "strategic asset" used to coordinate with the Axis of Resistance, as reported by the pro-Israel channel
אבו עלי אקספרס. Additionally, the IDF assassinated Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij, and destroyed an Iranian space center used to develop anti-satellite weapons. Defense Minister Katz also confirmed the elimination of acting leader Ali Larijani, boasting that Hezbollah's Naim Qassem can now
"meet them soon in the depths of hell". Attempting to further humiliate the regime, Israeli channels widely circulated a New York Post report claiming US intelligence indicates that
Mojtaba Khamenei may be homosexual, framing it as a devastating blow to the Ayatollahs' public image.
Iranian Retaliation Strikes Israel and the Gulf
In response to the decapitation strikes, Iran launched massive ballistic missile barrages toward central Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. While the majority were intercepted,
a direct rocket hit was reported in Nahariya, causing light injuries, according to
דניאל עמרם ללא צנזורה. More critically, Iran expanded its attacks to the Gulf, striking fuel tanks at Dubai International Airport and the Fujairah oil port in the UAE, and launching over 60 UAVs at Saudi Arabia. Arab commentators frame this as a dangerous regional spillover. Qatar's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim warned that
"closing the Strait of Hormuz will affect the world and not just the Gulf", blaming Netanyahu for dragging the region into a devastating war of attrition.
US Involvement and Diverging Narratives
US President Donald Trump demanded NATO allies help secure the Strait of Hormuz, quipping to reporters that he doesn't know who to negotiate with in Iran because
"they are all dead". Meanwhile, the
אסף רוזנצוייג, חדשות מהעולם הגדול channel highlighted a New York Times report claiming the Saudi Crown Prince privately urged Trump to
"cut off the head of the snake". Iranian officials offer a starkly different narrative, accusing the US and Israel of conducting "unjust aggression." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the strikes on Tehran's oil reserves a
"civil/environmental crime" and baselessly claimed that the US was using UAVs to attack Gulf states to falsely blame Tehran—a claim outright rejected by US Central Command.