CENTCOM struck Iranian military infrastructure in southern Iran after a one-way attack drone hit a Panama-flagged tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, Israeli defense officials say Hezbollah could launch attacks within days, as the IDF prepares to withdraw from two experimental zones in southern Lebanon.
Shortly after CENTCOM confirmed a second wave of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure at 23:13 Friday — targeting surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage, and mine-laying capabilities — Israeli defense officials assessed that Hezbollah could launch attacks against the IDF within days. The assessment, first reported by The Zioneer at 23:13 Friday, is based on intelligence that the Lebanese militant group 'will not sit idly by' following the framework agreement with Lebanon, according to a security source cited by ynet.
The U.S. strikes, described by a U.S. official as larger than the previous night's operation, came in direct response to a one-way attack drone that struck the Panama-flagged crude tanker M/T Kiku near the Strait of Hormuz at 4:30 a.m. ET. The Zioneer has tracked the escalation in U.S.-Iran hostilities since June 10, when CENTCOM first launched 'proportional' strikes on Iranian coastal infrastructure after a helicopter downing (published 00:18 Jerusalem). By June 11 (02:03 Jerusalem), security sources told The Zioneer that Israel was not involved in Washington's kinetic response. The campaign expanded on June 14 (23:06 Jerusalem) amid reports of accelerated U.S.-Iran memorandum talks.
As The Zioneer reported on June 10 (00:50 Jerusalem), senior U.S. officials signaled readiness for an expanded air campaign, which this latest wave — hitting sites on Qeshm Island and near Sirik, Kong, and Bandar Lengeh — confirms. The IDF is separately preparing to withdraw from two experimental zones in southern Lebanon, Zawtar al-Gharbiya and Frun, with a U.S.-Lebanese-Israeli coordination team set to begin work next week on a withdrawal timetable.
It remains unclear whether Hezbollah will carry out an attack, and if so, whether its timing or scale is tied to the ongoing U.S. campaign in Iran. The Zioneer's antecedent reporting on U.S. strike waves relied on official CENTCOM statements and corroborating flight-tracking data, while the Hezbollah assessment remains attributed to a single Israeli security source — it has not been independently confirmed by Hezbollah or Lebanese officials.
16 developments
- StrongCENTCOM details second consecutive night of US strikes on Iran
- ConfirmedCENTCOM intercepts Iranian suicide drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongUS military strikes Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIran threatens direct strike on Israel if southern Lebanon operations continue
Source and signal
- Internal intake