A shell launched from Lebanon into northern Israel caused damage, the Israel Defense Forces said. The incident is under investigation; Israel has been targeting infrastructure linked to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. First responders reported two vehicles on fire near the border and said someone appeared trapped in a vehicle showing no signs of life.
President Donald Trump posted that the U.S. will “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours. In his post he wrote: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” The largest power plant in Iran is thought to be the Damavand Combined Cycle Power Plant on the outskirts of Tehran. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway off Iran’s southern coast that normally handles about 20% of global oil consumption — since the start of the war. Trump earlier said he was considering “winding down” the U.S. military campaign, claiming the U.S. was “very close to meeting our objectives,” and said the U.S. would “help” Gulf states secure and police the strait “if asked.”
Israeli officials said 64 people were injured in an Iranian attack on the city of Arad. Of those wounded, seven patients were in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, according to Israel’s MDA emergency service. IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said the strikes in Arad and earlier in Dimona were direct missile strikes. “The air defense systems were activated but did not intercept the missile. We will investigate the incident and learn from it,” he said.
In Dimona, Israel Fire and Rescue said a building was hit during an Iranian missile attack. The IDF said attempts were made to intercept the missile and the incident is under review. Israeli emergency services treated 47 people, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition and a woman in moderate condition, both with shrapnel wounds. The Negev Nuclear Research Center, located just outside Dimona, officially conducts general scientific nuclear research; the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was “aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev.”