Senior Iranian officials announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warned it is only the "first step" — threatening direct missile attacks on Israel if the strikes in Lebanon continue, according to Israeli media reports.
Iran has escalated its response to the Israeli strikes in Lebanon by closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz and issuing a direct threat against Israel. Citing Israeli media reports on Saturday evening, senior Iranian officials described the closure as a 'first step' and warned that continued Israeli operations in Lebanon would trigger Iranian missile fire toward Israel. The development dramatically widens the front of the current crisis beyond the Lebanon-Israel border.
Earlier on Saturday, a series of reports tracked the Iranian escalation in near-real time. At 17:52 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Hezbollah had separately threatened to fire missiles into Israel. Within the same hour, the IRGC Navy announced a complete closure of the strait, followed by an immediate closure citing agreement violations, and then a formal declaration by Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters. The thread then added the reported travel of U.S. Vice President Vance to Switzerland for talks with the Iranian delegation and Prime Minister Netanyahu's order for a strong response to any Hezbollah attack. Each report was based on a single or initial source, with corroboration building through multiple reports.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Saturday, IDF operations in southern Lebanon have continued despite the ceasefire framework, and military officials have stated they remain committed to the political echelon's directives while operating to remove threats and protect northern communities. IDF confirmed that Hezbollah had fired over 50 rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon overnight in violation of the June 19 ceasefire, and that Israel responded by striking 300 terror targets and killing approximately 100 operatives, according to political sources.
The Iranian threat of missile strikes against Israel adds an unprecedented dimension to the confrontation. It remains unclear whether the Iranian warning has been coordinated with Hezbollah, and whether Israeli military operations have paused under American pressure as suggested by political sources. The Strait of Hormuz closure marks the first time in this round of escalation that Tehran has taken direct economic-strategic action, threatening global oil shipping lanes, but the extent of the blockade's implementation remains unverified.
6 developments
- ConfirmedIran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz as Hezbollah rocket fire continues in south Lebanon
- StrongIranian state media calls on foreign ministry to close Strait of Hormuz over Israel's Lebanon presence
- StrongIran threatens indefinite Hormuz closure, blocks IAEA inspections as Israeli officials warn of shifting U.S. support
- StrongIran reportedly closes Strait of Hormuz as IDF braces for multi-day fighting
Source and signal
- Internal intake